


blood is naught but the sap

by ninanna



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Asexual Eren Yeager, Cats, Comedy, Discrimination, Friendship, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Slice of Life, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-02
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-04-02 11:32:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 42,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4058425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninanna/pseuds/ninanna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren is in desperate need of extra cash and is looking for more work during his summer holidays to help pay the expenses. It all starts with a joke and becomes something more than a joke: Eren working as a blood donor for a vampire. Furthermore, he just never expected his client to be... so peculiarly strange. In a good way though. He hopes so at least. </p><p> </p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to [crisscrosscutout](http://crisscrosscutout.tumblr.com), who is not only an awesome person but is also the main inspiration and partner in crime for this fic. (I hope you like it hun!) Many of the ideas here are from our joyful chattering about modern day vampires; we tried to come up with scientific scenarios and rationales, not only for physical aspects but established cultural or social norms too. So if you’re interested about any of it, hit me up :3

 

“Your haemoglobin is at,” the doctor drawled and then blinked, “17.9 g/dL… Hmm…”

 

Eren cringed in his seat. In the last three years where everything in his life went downhill, the only good that remained was his perfect health and the idea of losing it as well was too much. _He said haemoglobin, so—God—do I have anaemia? I hope I don’t have anaemia. Oh fuck, Mikasa will fuss over me 200% if I have anaemia._

 

The doctor’s features took a serious turn and Eren tensed, holding his breath for the verdict that could make his already tough life plain hellish. He was praying in the back of his mind that whatever he had, the medication for it would be covered by his student insurance.

 

“That’s super good. More than healthy. Got to be careful that no vamp makes a meal out of you heh.”

_What the fuck._

 

Hearing such a slur from a healthcare professional was awful and the joke was equally putrid. Adding insult to injury, the man was giving a smug grin, apparently expecting a laugh or a smile from Eren, though he was surely not going to give either to such problematic ‘humour’. He sighed instead.

 

“So I’m fine?”

 

“Fine? You’re great. All your results are great. Your RBC, WBC—your ferritin level is exactly the ideal as provided by the National Department of Health.”

 

Eren sighed again—relief washing over him now rather than frustration but it was short lived because the supposed ‘professional’ sitting across him smirked once more and added, as if it was so needed:

 

“No walking at night in the back alleys for you, though. You know, they love to hang out in the dark after all.”

 

Eren openly grimaced as he stood up from the chair, securing his backpack on one shoulder.

 

“Actually, according to latest government reports, vampires are four times more likely to be a victim of violence than to be a perpetrator, mostly for blood harvesting, so I think I’ll be fine as long as I stay clear of humans, who are statistically more likely to kill me anyway.”

 

He strode out of the room as though he was running from the plague; though ignorance was decidedly not infectious it was still horrid. All sorts of other figures popped up in his head since he had written an essay on the accessibility of healthcare for vampires a term before. The idea that any of the night students might have to visit the clinic and be faced with such horrifically biased staff—the seven seconds long elevator ride spent brooding made him angry at himself for not speaking out louder, for not saying more. _I should’ve stood up to him the moment he said that word_.

 

When he was stomping through the Health Services building’s lobby, however, his stomach started singing an ugly tune, reminding him how he had eaten nothing for more than half a day as his appointment had been early in the morning but the wait took hours. He dug in his pocket as he exited the glass door that automatically opened before him and for a second he was blinded with the glare of the sun attacking his eyes. As much as he liked summer, he was not fond of the scorching heat and too many bright hours—and it was noon, the time of the day he absolutely hated. Internally ranting at the weather, he changed his route towards the student run cafeteria located in the basement of the Department of Sociology. He quickened his pace, hoping that they had not run out of the cheap samosas which tended to be sold out well before afternoon. If he missed that, all he could afford with the total sum of three dollars in his hand would be a bagel, a muffin, and a cup of tea. It was ridiculous how high the prices in their school was; the student run cafeteria was the only place remotely affordable, the others run by the third-party catering company that the administration had contracted were extravagantly expensive, a single bagel with cream cheese costing full three dollars. A year ago Eren and some friends had tried rallying the students to rise against these unacceptable conditions but they ultimately failed since majority of the student body were from wealthy families and could not even perceive anything wrong with the prices.

 

Being on a full scholarship, he did not have to worry about tuition but there were a ton of other expenses to cover that he had to do all by himself. Working in a fast food restaurant did not pay well and being a third year undergraduate in political science and sociology, he didn’t have many chances of lucrative internships either. In fact every place he had applied for this particular summer had returned to him with positive responses that also promised “a lot of experience” but exactly zero income. It was incredibly frustrating and he doubted the grocery stores accepted ‘experience’ in lieu of money. He had to find a new job though—or a second miserable one in the worst case, and preferably soon. Their landlord had increased the rent considerably three months ago and even though they split it into three, it was still too much for him, given all the other costs he endured, from textbooks to transportation. He couldn’t come up with his entire portion the last month and Mikasa and Armin had chipped in more to even it, which made him feel useless which made him furious with himself and everything at once.

 

If he had any valuable possession, he would gladly sell it but all he had was his good health and mind.

 

* * *

 

 

“You could always sell your kidney.”

 

Mikasa elbowed Jean who moaned and rubbed his side, gritting under his breath that it had been only a joke.

 

“That’s not a bad idea actually—I’m surprised it came out of you Jean.”

 

This time it was Armin who elbowed Eren on the side and it was not even a mock gesture; it seriously hurt, causing a similar groan of agony.

 

“But isn’t it true? What do I have other than my body at this moment?”

 

“Your labour?” Armin enunciated and slapped Eren’s hand that was busy stealing his fries.

 

“Which currently doesn’t have enough value to sustain a living for me, great. Yay Capitalism.”

 

“And that means your only choice left is selling your body?” Mikasa snapped.

 

“Yeah! Yeah, maybe. Hell maybe I’ll just become a porn star.” Eren barked back, his tone and nerves both agitated but before his temperature could further rise, Connie burst out laughing, drawing all eyes to him.

 

Realising everyone was looking at him Connie simply cackled more, Sasha following in his example and chuckling loudly.

 

“Just what is it Connie?” Eren whined.

 

“Dude—” Connie started but couldn’t keep himself from laughing and had to pause. “It’s—dude. You and sex. Like you roll your eyes and look the other way at television sex so—”

 

He simply finished his sentence with another bout of laughter which Jean soon joined in. It was true though; that specific line of work being very much outside his comfort zone and capability, and the realisation pulled a trigger in him and soon Eren was also tittering, which led Armin to start giggling and Mikasa, finally, smiled while shaking her head at them.

 

“So pornography is out too then,” Jean summed up when their mutual hysteria was over.

 

“His career ended before it could even begin,” Armin nodded, “such a tragic story.” Eren poked his friend’s waist grinning. “Shut up.”

 

“Well he could still do other kinds of intimate work though.” Sasha piped up, chewing the last piece of samosa left on her plate.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Y’know, be a paid donor?”

 

“Ugh,” Jean scowled, “don’t speak like that at the table.”

 

“Bah, what? You’re disgusted of a little blood donation talk but not sex?”

 

“It’s not like sex—it’s not between ‘people’.”

 

“They are people,” Eren said sternly, sizing Jean up which seemed to only frustrate the other.

 

“Yeah, they are. Technically. I know that. They are just people with a peculiar condition, I get it. I don’t have prejudice. It’s just…”

 

“It’s just what?”

 

“It’s dangerous.” Mikasa answered instead though her point was certainly not what Jean was stammering about.

 

“Statistically speaking—“

 

“I don’t think the statistics matter much when you are baring yourself to the literal fangs of someone who could kill you in one misstep.”

 

“Look I’m not saying it does not have occupational risks. It does—but then every line of work does too. I have more chances of dying while frying the chips for god’s sake. Plus you know he wasn’t referring to that.”

 

“It’s weird to me okay. It’s really weird and I don’t know how people do that!” Jean raised his hands up, “You’re making yourself so vulnerable, they could kill you.”

 

“You could kill me now.”

 

“It’s not the same thing Eren. You’re objectifying yourself when you submit to them like that. You’re turning yourself into a freakin’ meal!”

 

“But it is. And they need blood to live. Should we go back to the Middle Ages and hunt each other instead?!”

 

Jean bit back the words he was about to say and perhaps purposely but perhaps not, Sasha chimed into the tense atmosphere quite carelessly: “Risks aside, I heard it pays really well. Like pretty much nothing else you can do in an hour pays so nicely.”

 

“The hell. You’d actually do it?”

 

“Hmm…” Sasha pondered Jean’s question not any longer than a second before grinning, “why not? Sure, it would be a bit strange but if I needed the money.”

 

“Don’t you have chronic hypoglycaemia?”

 

“Wow Connie, you know me so well.”

 

“I know you so well because you’ve fainted more than enough times during high school.” He frowned pushing his leftover apple pie to her while she giggled.

 

“I don’t think I could ever do something like that…” Jean mumbled to himself.

 

“What? Share your apple pie? I don’t know man, I don’t like too sugary things. Plus as I said, she kind of needs it.”

 

“No, Connie. I meant feeding—you know. Feeding them like that.”

 

“They have a name Jean.”

 

“For fuck’s sake Eren, I’m sometimes curious if you’re into a vampire or something.”

 

“Stop saying things that will give Mikasa nightmares!” Sasha threw a rolled up paper napkin to Jean’s head while still chewing a mouthful of pie, specks of crust stuck on her lips.

 

Jean had started groaning about germs then but Eren was too busy glaring at him and Mikasa gave Sasha a thumbs-up of approval.

 

Soon the topic turned around to Sasha being untidy to whether or not ‘sugar rushes’ actually existed to the upcoming judo tournament that Mikasa would participate. They talked for hours and laughed a lot and Eren got to forget the financial troubles looming over him at least temporarily.

 

* * *

 

 

 

It had been mostly a joke.

 

He had not thought of the possibility of such work at all after that conversation. As a matter of fact, he had applied for extra hours though he was not sure if his picky manager would accept. But one of those common “ _Earn 5000$ In An Hour For Just A Little Bit Of Blood_ ” ads got him thinking, then got him remembering, then got him curious and eventually landed him on craigslist.

 

Most of the solicitations posted were rather creepy but the payments offered were quite good. A bit baffled, he started googling around and while 5000$ per hour figure from the ads was bogus as expected, the rates were generally high still. It made sense to a degree, given the many posts about health concerns involved, including contraction of dangerous diseases, and how even the more established websites that linked potential ‘donors’ with clients enforced a liability waiver to be signed. All of that not even including the social stigma most people who worked in this marginal sector faced; he still remembered the godawful slurs hurled at Mikasa’s family when the rumours began that her father had died while providing services to a vampire. In reality, he had been killed by a car accident and worked as a software engineer, but so what if the rumour had been true—why blame the victim and their family? It had made Eren furious at the time and led to more than a few fights at the school.

 

That night, he logged off after a few hours of idle research, too tired and not specifically interested in the topic. But in the next days, the idea simply kept resurfacing in his mind. His manager declining more hours and Armin’s car breaking down, adding more expenses on top of their already fragile balance only further increased the allure of the job. It was so very simple: he would only be donating blood. He was a regular at their department’s blood drive; sure, he had learnt that most vampires preferred, if possible, to directly suck which was a much more intimate experience than a needle being stuck in you in a van full of other people. Considering how he had never had such proximity with a stranger in the past, it intimidated him. He wasn’t even that physically close with anybody but Armin and Mikasa, whom he had practically grown up with.

 

But the idea was just so good.

 

It would help so much—so, so much given how with each passing day he was closer to not being able to fully pay his rent, again. And if in the odd chance that he got to meet a relatively old vampire, it would rather be enlightening to hear more about the times he’s been through.

 

This happened to him a lot: being attracted to an idea and not being able to get rid of it so easily. It kept swirling in the back of his mind as he endured the fast food industry exploit him through long shifts with minimum wage, went to jogging in the mornings, and walked the neighbour’s dog in the evenings. It crawled into his consciousness when he was eating or when he was watching a show and soon, he even had dreams about it.

 

Thus, it was no surprise that he made silly jokes of it more than ever before, rising others’ eyebrows sometimes—mostly of Armin’s and Mikasa’s. It was again no surprise that he blurted one out during a session with his advisor, while they were going through the abstract of a paper that Eren had written, beginnings of a project he hoped to develop in the coming term.

 

“Oh, you want to be a paid donor?”

 

At first, he thought his brilliant and eccentric professor Hanji Zoe was simply kidding but their features were more surprised than teasing.

 

“Uh—it—it was a joke?”

 

“Oh! Okay. For a sec I thought you really meant it…” They gave a sigh that almost sounded disappointed.

 

“You… Do you know people who do blood work?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“It’s… uh… you took it really well thinking I was serious so…” Eren twirled the pencil with his fingers, rather self-consciously.

 

“Well I have known a few.... But more to the point, one of my best friends—actually my best friend after Moblit and Moblit doesn’t count, right? He’s my husband too so I count him in that category, no duplicates, anyway—my best friend is a vampire.”

 

Eren’s eyes widened, “Wow. I didn’t know that.”

 

“I don’t really advertise it since some people are atrocious about this. I mean we have vampire faculty in both the departments of History and Literature but you wouldn’t believe some of the shit other staff whisper behind their backs.”

 

“I can imagine… some of my friends are… very biased too? I guess…”

 

“Hmm…”

 

Eren had taken a course in his second year from a professor specialised in Late Mediaeval Political History who also happened to be a vampire from that time—it was a blessing, or as he put it often: _the best course ever_. For a minute he had been busy recalling those amazing classes but then he recognised how Hanji was eyeing him.

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

“Were you really ‘only’ joking about the paid donation?”

 

“Ah… well…”

 

“Well?”

 

“I really need money these days and it’s been hard… you know…”

 

Hanji hummed and reclined on their chair, their fingers tapping on the table while their eyes were keenly boring on Eren, making him nervous.

 

“Actually,” they started with that voice they used whenever they would introduce last minute changes to the curriculum or grading, “my friend kind of really needs a donor these days. His last donor moved away.”

 

“I see.”

 

“He is a very private man, a bit of a neat-freak too—well, not a bit, quite a bit, let’s just say, a lot. All that basically makes it impossible for him to use more public… options.”

 

“I—I see.”

 

“Yeah. He is rather well off. A reserved man. Keeps to himself. Traditional in some ways—he never got de-fanged.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Yes. Okay, I’ll be frank: Eren, would you?”

 

“Sorry—what?”

 

“Come on! You must know what I’m talking about. Were you seriously thinking of selling your blood because if you are—you would be perfect for him.”

 

“I was just entertaining the idea mostly for fun—“

 

“He cares the most about hygiene and health so you would have no worries on that side. Still he provides full health insurance to providers who don’t have it otherwise.”

 

“Hanji—“

 

“Nobody has to know! You could do it on a private contract! He doesn’t have many friends anyway.”

 

“Well those can be—“

 

“You can show it to a lawyer, aren’t your little blond friend studying law? Oh and Levi is strict about safety.”

 

“Levi? Hanji I’m—“

 

“My friend who needs blood; Levi. My vampire friend. He is a really nice guy! He looks grouchy and distant but has the softest heart and I’m sure you’d get along great.”

 

“I haven’t really done anything like this before...”

 

“He could pay you _well_.”

 

“It’s… What do you mean… How ‘well’?”

 

“I think he was paying 700$ per session to his previous donor and a session was… about forty minutes? He also covers transportation on top of that.”

 

“Oh…” Eren’s processing had stopped at the mention of seven hundred dollars—it was almost a hundred times more than what he earned per hour. He coughed, suddenly very excited and nervous at once, seriously considering the offer.

 

“So?”

 

“Well… You… trust him?”

 

“He is my best friend—of course I trust him.”

 

“I’m not sure but… could I meet him? Before… I decide?”

 

Hanji grinned all toothy and happy then; “You sure can and I’m sure you will love him!”

 

* * *

 

 

‘He’ was not anything like what Eren had imagined and Eren wasn’t sure how much he could trust Hanji’s words because it surely did not seem like they would get along.

 

The first sentence that came out of his mouth the moment Eren arrived and sat at their table in the designated meeting place, a peaceful and obviously high-scale Chinese teahouse, was:

 

“For fuck’s sake Hanji, how old is he?!”

 

Hanji snorted and Eren frowned.

 

“Oh don’t be so jittery and grumpy! He is 22,” they assured with a grin.

 

“Good to know. Can you move away now?”

 

“What? No! I’m the neutral party here.”

 

“Neutral party my ass, you’re the only party not neutral here.”

 

“Liar.”

 

“I know you want to set me up with a donor as soon as possible; you’d do anything for it. How do I know you didn’t blackmail him?”

 

“Oh come on—Eren, did I blackmail you? Hmm?”

 

“Uh—no?”

 

“That was a questioning tone.”

 

“Oh come on, stop trying to ruin it and you’re scaring him with your weird questions on purpose. He’s just surprised, alright?” They looked Eren pleadingly and he nodded as certainly as he could.

 

The strange vampire scrutinised Eren for a second then but quickly turned his glare back to Hanji, much to the relief of Eren because the steely gaze of this person was nerve-racking.

 

“Go. That table over there is good.”

 

“No, Levi please—“

 

“I know you’ll do anything just to make him accept.”

 

“You’re talking as if you don’t want—“

 

“That’s not the point. Why are you even this invested in my diet…”

 

“Not everyone handles your anger issues caused by long-term fasting as easily as Isabel and Farlan you know.”

 

Levi sighed. “I know but you are his teacher so it is not proper,” he pointed the table on the other side of the quaint tea room, “just go over there, please?”

 

“Okay fine, but don’t—“ Hanji looked between them before staring at Levi intently, “don’t scare him.”

 

_Great. He does not have to scare me, because that warning scared me enough._

 

The second Hanji left though, they were left with a very tough dilemma… of staring at each other warily and having no idea where to start the conversation and Eren was half-thinking of simply running away.

 

“Fuck, can you please stop looking like you’re about to piss yourself?”

 

“I—“ Eren gawked, scandalised, “I’m not—what the fuck.”

 

“Oh good. For a second I thought you were too obedient.”

 

Eren gaped—openly and unabashedly gaped as the person sitting in front of him took out a small bottle of hand sanitizer, squirting copious amounts onto his palm and rigorously cleaning every curve and corner of his small, pale hands.

 

“Are you really a vampire?” Eren blurted out which made the stranger stop and stare at him with an almost bored face.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Wow.”

 

“Why?”

 

“It’s just—ah. Never mind.”

 

Levi shook his head in annoyance and signed to the waitress who quickly approached their table with a full smile.

 

“Welcome. You’ve decided on your order?”

 

“Thanks. Can I have Lu’an Gua Pian? In a teapot please.”

 

He looked at Eren who simply shrugged, looking away; he was honestly afraid how much a cup of tea cost here, let alone a teapot. The tables and chairs were ornately carved and there were all sorts of exquisite pieces of decoration around. He assumed even a cup of tea would amount to a whole meal’s cost and he didn’t have money to spare for such luxuries.

 

“Surely.” The waitress beamed as she walked away with Levi’s order and Eren realised how every other table—including Hanji’s—had received a menu but theirs. He thought it was a decent icebreaker.

 

“They didn’t bring any menu to us, odd, right?”

 

Levi seemed very unimpressed.

 

“They didn’t bring one because I’ve memorised the menu and they let me know if they have anything new. Did you want to order something? We could ask them for a menu.”

 

“Not really… I’m fine.”

 

They stared at each other again.

 

“So, you come here a lot?” Eren tried once more.

 

“Yes.”

 

_Okay, this is a good one. Just continue with this._

 

“So, you like tea?”

 

“No, I just come here because their toilets are really nice.”

 

“W—what?”

 

“No. I mean—yes, their toilets are very clean and I like it but of course I come here for the tea.”

 

“Yeah…” Eren bit his bottom lip in worry and Levi shifted his gaze elsewhere in the room, adding more frustration to Eren’s wavering ego. He had never been good at chit-chat and doing so with a stranger was even more painful, especially given the reason of their meeting. Anxiety was catching up to him, so he spoke without much thought again: “I just didn’t know vampires drank tea.”

 

“Shocking, isn’t it?”

 

“Kind of strange, yeah. Oh… that was…”

 

“Sarcasm.”

 

“Yes. I see… it’s just I never—“

 

Levi palmed his face; “Can we get this over with quickly? Just ask whatever you have to ask and then I’ll ask whatever I have to ask and we’ll see if it works, okay? No need for a small talk.”

 

Just as Levi finished his words, their waitress was back with a bamboo tray. For some odd reason, as the beautiful teaware was placed in front of them, including an extra cup for Eren, and Levi’s eyes were glued on the steam dancing into the air, all the tightly knot nerves in Eren’s stomach resolved at once only to burn with irritation.

 

“You’re a prick.”

 

Levi’s eyebrows rose and his gaze lifted up to meet Eren’s contemptuous one, against Eren’s expectation however, Levi appeared to be surprised than angered.

 

“What?” Eren muttered, still irked.

 

“Nothing.” Levi mumbled, seeming almost self-conscious himself, which sounded ridiculous to Eren because this was a vampire sitting before him.

 

“We can drink tea,” Levi admitted then even though there had been no questions on the topic again. He delicately grasped the thin handle of the teapot and started pouring tea into the cup in front of Eren. “We can also drink coffee. Our tastes work differently though; most human food just tastes very weird and meat and vegetables can cause terrible constipation or be toxic. It doesn’t kill of course but it does pain… so fucking much too, and we don’t even need to eat them so we just… don’t.” He trailed off as he softly pushed the filled porcelain cup towards Eren and started pouring his own.

 

“I see…” Eren noted, agreeing to the hinted truce, gripping the fine cup before him carefully and taking a small sip. It was not like any tea he drank before; he had guessed it not being black tea by the colour but the taste made it harder to pinpoint. He was not a big drinker of green tea, which this seemed closer to, but it was nothing like the green teas he tried before either.

 

“This is…” Eren tried to find the right words as the remnants of the taste settled in his mouth, “kind of… floral?”

 

Levi’s lips almost curved then—‘almost’ and Eren was not sure whether or not the man had smiled as his face was soon obscured by the cup he was drinking from.

 

“A delicately sweet taste despite its smooth intensity in aroma and the finish is quite long with floral notes, taste overall only minimally, teasingly vegetal…”

 

“You,” Eren paused mid sip, “you really like tea.”

 

Levi finished the last drop in the small cup before placing it in front of him, his gaze avoiding Eren nonchalantly and focused on the now empty tea cup before reaching to the teapot to pour more.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Nice.”

 

“So?”

 

“Well, again this is my first time so…”

 

“If you don’t want to—“

 

“I didn’t say that. I am not absolutely against or for it… I just don’t know. Okay, how about we start with basics? How old are you?”

 

“42.”

 

“Oh you look much younger.”

 

“Of course, I was turned when I was twenty-three.”

 

“Wait. What do you mean you were—your biological age is twenty-three?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“What is forty-two then?”

 

“It’s been forty-two years since I’ve been born?”

 

“You—“ Eren gasped, shocked, “you’re only forty-two?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Ah. Okay.” Eren’s shoulders slouched visibly.

 

“What ‘okay’?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“It surely seems like something to me.”

 

“I just expected you to be older?”

 

“Why?”

 

“I don’t know. The only vampires I met face to face were the faculty in the university and they are pretty old.”

 

“Of course they are,” Levi rolled his eyes as he slowly twirled the cup in his hand.

 

“Most night students are younger of course but I never had much interaction with them, they usually keep it to themselves.” When Levi peered at him inquisitively Eren tried to smile, hoping he could elaborate his disappointment in a polite manner. “I guess I thought you would be older since you’re Professor Zoe’s friend and I had hoped you would have… seen things, you know.”

 

Levi pursed his lips and stayed silent for a second before replying; “I saw things.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“I had a flip phone. We had dial-up modem back when I was young.”

 

Eren scowled, assuming the man was mocking him.

 

“What? I witnessed the great evolution of telephony. It _is_ important.”

 

“’Telephony’? Now that makes you sound really old, I’ll give you that.”

 

“Sorry for being too young and destroying all your dreams of meeting an ancient vampire, kid. What did you think? We were all centuries old? Guess what, most of those guys died centuries ago. Or rather: got killed.”

 

“Sure many vampires died but—“

 

“Many? We are talking about massacres. We’re talking about genocide. It’s more than many. But look, let’s not talk about the great purges of the Middle Ages or the factory-prisons post the Industrial Revolution, okay? I don’t want to ruin my appetite.”

 

Eren was about to speak but Levi shushed him with a finger.

 

“No, really. We met for a specific reason, right?”

 

“Right.” Eren conceded, injured that Levi probably thought the worst of him and disappointed in himself for bringing something he shouldn’t have. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

 

“So any other questions?”

 

“I don’t know… Hmm… what do you do?”

 

“I’m a yoga instructor.”

 

Eren almost choked on the tea he had just refilled.

 

“For real?”

 

“Yes, why—I’m sorry did I shatter yet another dream of yours? What were you expecting? Mysterious mafia boss? Millionaire businessman? Unemployed nobility? Super-powered assassin? Rock singer?”

 

“Sarcastic graphic novel writer with a foul mouth?”

 

Levi hummed and tilted his head, considering him curiously.

 

“Not bad.”

 

“You really are a yoga instructor?” Eren asked just to confirm.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Any other questions? My height? Is my hair really black or do I dye it?”

 

Eren shook his head. “160-162? And I’d bet it’s natural?”

 

“You would have won that bet then. So nothing else?”

 

“Not… for now, I guess. Maybe after I hear your offer?”

 

“Okay. Good. Then shall I begin?”

 

“Yes, please.”

 

“Assuming you don't smoke. Twice a month. Each session 800 bucks. I take up to 100 to 150 mL each time. Even though it’s a small amount, you may still develop anaemia. You will see a doctor and get a blood test done after the first and the second months and we’ll see how your body is coping.”

 

“O—okay. I don't smoke or anything. I think I should be alright then, uh, I got a test recently and everything was good.”

 

“Hmm… how much was your haemoglobin level?”

 

When Eren didn’t answer right away, Levi coughed. “Just asking as… part of the interview but you can decline to answer. It won’t affect my offer as long as you don’t have chronic anaemia.”

 

“It’s okay I guess it makes sense for you to ask. It said 17.9 I think? I forgot the units but it was—“

 

“O—oh.” Levi exhaled and then hurriedly closed his mouth, ghost of a fang scraping his lip which made Eren shiver—it was the first glimpse of the famous tooth. He found himself more curious than scared, though it did make him anxious. He also thought that it was a bit small, just like every other part of Levi.

 

“That’s good,” Levi concluded after clearing his throat, “I will still fully cover any iron supplements or similar expenses. Transportation too. Or if you get hungry after a session, I’ll cover the food.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“So okay?”

 

Eren paused for a bit, pondering if he could really go through this but other than a mix of mild annoyance and wonder, he did not feel any reason he should not.

 

“Yes, okay.” He replied, palms getting lightly sweaty.

 

They both looked away, Levi focusing on his tea while Eren glanced over to Hanji who were wiggling their eyebrows asking how it was going. He gave a thumbs-up from under the table which led Hanji to grin large and fist-bump the air.

 

“One last thing Eren…”

 

Eren turned his attention hurriedly to Levi who seemed very serious and composed, the bits of awkwardness that Eren had felt moments ago completely gone.

 

“If you ever and I mean ever feel you do not want to do it—whether it is after a session, before one, in the middle of one—it doesn’t matter. You tell me. We stop. I still pay you for that last session and then it’s over—if you want it over.”

 

“I understand…” Eren agreed; while the emphasis softened his heart to the bizarre man before him, it also wound his insides together, tensing his flesh with both anticipation and disquiet.

 

“Your consent comes first.”

 

Eren nodded.

 

“Any other questions?”

 

“Where do we do it?”

 

“In my house unless you prefer somewhere else but if you do prefer somewhere else that somewhere else has to meet my hygiene requirements.”

 

“I am fine with your house. I guess.” Eren took a deep breath, trying hard not to avert his eyes. Despite his boldness and the agreement of sorts he had reached both with himself and his ‘client’, anxiety roared inside. It was a brave new world he was stepping into— _one that Mikasa will kill me for—shit. I’ll need to come up with something good._

 

“Hanji can be with us during the sessions if you’d like?” Levi added, “They cannot be in the same room—it’s—I really don’t like being seen like that. It’s complicated. But they can wait in the next room.”

 

“That would be good.”

 

“So anything else?”

 

“I don’t think so.”

 

Levi finished his tea then and raised his two fingers, silently calling for the waitress from the other side of the room. Once he got the waitress’ attention he made a hand gesture that resembled signing and waitress went away only to come back to their table with a leather box.

 

When Levi grabbed it, Eren protested a little.

 

“I couldn’t—“

 

“Yes, you could. This isn’t a date, it’s an interview which I hosted and we drank the tea that I ordered. It only makes sense that I pay.”

 

He put a fifty-dollar bill in the leather box which the waitress happily took with her. Eren was about to further argue when Hanji popped up near their table, smiling cheekily and shifting from one side to another almost in a tiny dance.

 

“So, my boys, what’s the verdict?”

 

Levi huffed as he collected his bag and the thin scarf he wore, which puzzled Eren since even though it was the evening, the weather was quite warm.

 

“We reached an agreement,” Eren said glancing at Levi who was gingerly wrapping the navy blue garment around his neck. It suited his pale skin and inky hair.

 

“Yay! Got to celebrate this! Come on Levi!”

 

“I’m ill.”

 

“You’re a vampire!”

 

“Who is fatigued and worked hard all week. Why don’t you take the kid—“

 

“Eren.”

 

Levi cocked his head, pinching his eyebrows in confusion. “Huh?”

 

“I’m not a kid—can you call me Eren?”

 

“I could have a kid your age.”

 

“Yeah, I could have a sugar daddy your age.”

 

He had always had the habit of snapping at people with the first thing that came to his mind which he regretted a lot right afterwards—just as he was at that moment. _Killing it in this first impression thing—Go Jaeger. Slay him like that. Now he thinks you’re weird—God—he wouldn’t think I’m hitting on him—he wouldn’t right—Oh God N—_

When Hanji started cackling and Levi shook his head in disbelief, Eren stopped biting his sinful tongue.

 

“How do you deal with these—“ Levi sighed, “with these students every day? I’m too old for this.”

 

“Says the man who is biologically around the same age. Don’t mind him Eren; he has always been an old soul.”

 

“Well, can you take your dear student Eren home so I can go my home and—“

 

“And take a nap with your cuddly beautiful queen of all evil on earth?”

 

“Don’t call her that.”

 

“She hates me; of course I’ll call her that.”

 

“Well no wonder she hates you when you call her that.”

 

“She hates everyone Levi! She hates everyone, but you!” Hanji flailed and the waitress politely snuck in between them and Eren to put the leather box back on the table. Levi took it to retrieve his change.

 

Eren was feeling odd listening to the conversation right across the two but it was nice to know that Levi was already seeing someone; if she was at the house during his visits, he would feel more at ease. Moreover, it was probably the reason why Levi didn’t take his silly comeback to heart—being asexual and uninterested in romantic relationships but having a clumsy mouth had led Eren into many nasty situations where he had to explain to allosexuals, no, he had not meant it _‘_ like that’. It was a dreadful occurrence he wanted to avoid as much as possible.

 

“So,” Levi spoke again moving out of his seat and Eren followed. “You’re taking him?”

 

“I can go home by myself actually.”

 

“Don’t you live far? I remember Hanji saying you lived in the North side?”

 

“I do but there should still be buses?”

 

“They’ll probably be once every hour or something. Hanji can drop you off.”

 

“I wouldn’t want to burden them.”

 

“Guys, I’m here you know. And Eren I’d love to drop you off—I don’t even have anything to do tonight. You see I wanted to do party a little with this best friend of mine but apparently he wants to go home and sleep like old people.”

 

“Because I am old!” Levi insisted turning his back.

 

“I’m still two months older than you!” Hanji answered behind his back, laughing, and Levi flipped them off.

 

“He’s such a crabby crab but he’s also a cutie-pie, isn’t he?” Hanji asked then, once Levi was already too far away and closing the embellished oak door of the teahouse behind himself.

 

“Well… ah…” Eren sputtered, hoping his words would not be misunderstood, “he is rather… peculiar?”

 

Hanji slapped his shoulder. “See, I told you—you two would get along.”

 

Eren forced a small smile while thinking that Hanji surely had a different perspective on ‘getting along’.

 

* * *

 

 

It was a lovely Friday evening. Sun had started setting, painting the horizon to warmer hues, scattering shades of orange over the two-storey buildings lining up the quiet street. All the houses were in prime condition with beautiful and well-tended gardens. It wasn’t suburbs but it felt just as tranquil if not more; the only upscale residential area still relatively close to the downtown and without skyscrapers.

 

When he came in front of the building number 427, he stood baffled. The exterior was of grey stone, one part covered in green ivy, and the window panes painted a rich green. If the house was pretty, the garden was simply impeccable; azaleas and lilacs, daffodils and tulips, perfectly cut grass, a short stone wall more ornamental than defensive. It even had a marble statue of a cupid or cherub, holding what looked like a plate, Eren wondered if it was a bird bath or if he was simply hallucinating. Then a sparrow, chirping, came out of nowhere and landed on the rim.

 

_Yup, definitely a bird bath._

 

He looked at his phone again, thinking that he probably came wrong but the email clearly said “427”. Eren checked the street-name three times and confirmed three times that he was indeed at the correct address.

 

“There goes nothing,” he whispered to himself as he padded towards the door, following the stone path from the garden gate. As he got close to the door, he started hearing shouting from inside; Hanji seemed to be yelling and Eren wondered if he had come at the wrong time. It was their arranged meeting time though and Hanji had told him six times throughout the week to be punctual because Levi cared about these things. Hence, he was indecisive whether he should wait till shouting ended or go away for a bit or press the buzzer anyway. After four seconds of consideration, finally after a particular shriek that again sounded a lot like Hanji, he opted for the third option partly out of concern for the well-being of his dear advisor.

 

Levi opened the door three seconds later with ruffled hair, slightly rosy cheeks, and a big scowl.

 

“Hello. The email said today but…”

 

“Yes, I know. Come—“

 

“Oh my God! She attacked again. Why?! I wasn’t even trying to pet her this time!”

 

Hanji’s yelling had obscured whatever Levi ended with but Eren assumed it was a “come in” and stepped inside.

 

“They never learn…” Levi shook his head as he locked the door behind Eren and then moved along the short but large entryway into the spacious living room.

 

“I’m really trying here!” Hanji was flailing to… a cat. Eren froze in his spot, staring at the weird dialogue of sorts that was taking place before him. The cat appeared indifferent, licking its paw while Hanji huffed and puffed.

 

“Levi, do something.”

 

“You haven’t been able to make her love you in over a decade, what am I supposed to do?” Levi shrugged, taking a seat in the green armchair placed close to the window.

 

“Is that—“ Eren scrutinised the black cat still ignoring Hanji, “is that a cat?”

 

“No, she is an evil queen who captures poor mortals’ hearts and then chews on them.”

 

“Hanji.”

 

“Oh and there you have the second part; she is also Levi’s precious beloved so you better never insult his dearest.”

 

“She,” Levi intoned loudly from his spot, “is my pet.”

 

“Oh.” Eren tried to contain his amazement; he had always been fond of cats but has never been able to have one due to Mikasa’s allergy.

 

“Can I pet her?” He asked, eyes full of hope, while the cat started staring at him, head tilted eerily human-like.

 

“No,” Levi refused right away much to Eren’s disappointment.

 

“Okay but for your information I would be very careful—I really like cats.”

 

“The problem is not you Eren,” Hanji came to stand next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder, “the problem is her.”

 

“She is not a problem.” Levi disagreed vehemently, so vehemently that his voice increased in pitch. “She’s just—“ Levi considered his cat, “she is just wary of humans.”

 

“She’s just wary of every living being except you Levi!” Hanji rolled their eyes.

 

“Couldn’t be that bad...” Eren thought out loud, causing Hanji to sneer before rolling the sleeve of their arm, showing several bandaged wounds.

 

“You’re joking.”

 

“And this is only what I’ve faced today. I know you are a stubborn one,” Hanji put their other hand on Eren’s other shoulder as well, essentially holding onto him and looking down from the two inches of height advantage they had, face serious and voice dramatic, “but she is a goddess of wrath. Don’t push your luck.”

 

“Okay, now you’re just being silly.” Levi sighed and Eren had to agree but right at that moment the cat leapt forward, popping up right near them and looking up to them with almost threatening eyes. While he was not at all afraid of cats, having just heard Hanji blabber and due to the sudden movement surprising him, he was intimidated for a second. The cat however stood unimpressed and then silently walked away towards Levi, jumping up to the armchair and then gracefully settling on his lap. Levi’s hand came to pet her head almost naturally and the whole last three seconds felt rather bewitching to Eren. If he had to guess one amongst them to be divine or special, it would definitely not be the neighbourhood vampire Levi with apparently supreme gardening skills, or his certified genius professor nicknamed “Dr. Frankenstein” at the university, or the good old mundane student himself—it would definitely be the cat. _Maybe she really is a goddess of wrath cursed to a human form or something._

 

“The cat,” Eren wondered then, “what’s her name?”

 

“Daffodil.” Levi replied without even sparing a look, lips curved into a small smile, contently watching his obviously much loved cat.

 

“Daffodil?” Eren parroted while Hanji snorted beside him.

 

“Yes, Daffodil,” Levi gritted between his teeth this time, turning his gaze to Eren’s face, making him self-conscious for the first time since he stepped into this strange household.

 

“Well, I guess it is time for me to move on to the kitchen and I don’t know—prepare you guys tea to drink after the thing?”

 

“Stop making it weird and please, please steep for the proper length of time. Earl Grey,” Levi told them before looking at Eren, “you do like Earl Grey, right?”

 

“Um, yeah, I’m fine with it?”

 

“Good. Earl Grey then, Hanji. Use the one in the silver tin on the second shelf. There are also cookies—and don’t steal, please.”

 

“As if I could,” Hanji clutched their shirt on the chest, “how heart breaking for you to doubt me Levi.” They smiled and then turned their attention to Eren, “You’re good?”

 

“Yeah,” Eren tried smiling, “I’m good.”

 

“Okay then if you need anything you can tell Levi or holler for me, alright?” They patted his shoulder and once Eren nodded his understanding, they winked, wishing good luck in a breath before disappearing into a door on the other side of the room.

 

“Well,” Levi said, “let’s get this started.”

 

While he was still in it, nervousness was rising in Eren, knots appearing in his stomach at the speed of light and tightening unforgivingly until Levi poked his cat softly and murmured in a gently voice as though speaking to his precious baby daughter, “Daffodil, come on sweet girl.”

 

As she hopped down and snuggled to Levi’s feet, Eren’s stiff nerves started easing—the sight, Levi’s tone, the scent of soap and tea that ruled the whole house calmed him significantly… that is until Daffodil gave him the dirtiest glare of his life and he gulped, shocked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit where credit is due (with full evidence):  
> [08/05/2015 21:42:28] nin: she has to have a really silly and cute and totally not-cool name  
> [08/05/2015 21:42:28] nin: something that speaks true of that softie, awkward interior levi has that we all know  
> [08/05/2015 21:42:34] crisscrosscutout: Daffodil
> 
> The name of fic comes from the Kahlil Gibran's wonderful The Prophet.
> 
> (I have to admit: working title of this fic was and still is, "Yes Haemo") 
> 
> Edit from the future: original title was "Your blood and my blood is naught but the sap that feeds the tree of heaven"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest I was rather floored by the attention this silly fic of mine got; I am quite fond of it and have planned to continue it, but the various illnesses I have to wrestle with have gotten stronger over the last couple of weeks, as well as other real life worries and it didn't help that I got a little frightened to disappoint you all by not delivering something worthwhile.
> 
> I am here though with a chapter 2 and I hope I manage to properly continue where I left off and y'all like it :3 Any comments or kudos would be much appreciated and used as fuel for future writing!

  


“So—um—what do I… do?”

  


“Sit?”

  


“Ah, yes.” 

  


Eren took a seat on the  sofa that was next to where Levi sat. He put his hands on his lap, unsure of what the next step would be.

  


“You okay?”

  


He looked at Levi with surprise, hadn’t been expecting the question.

  


“Yes?”

  


“Sure?” 

  


He must have made it apparent how apprehensive he had become for Levi to be questioning it so insistently but Levi did not seem angry or frustrated.

  


“I’m sure, it’s just…”

  


“It’s just what?”

  


“I haven’t done anything like this before with anyone. I’m a bit nervous.”

  


“Okay. We don’t have to go ahead with it if you’re not comfortable.”

  


“I am! Let me just—give me a second?”

  


“Suit yourself.”

  


Eren took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, willing his heartbeat to go down though he was not sure if his unruly piece of meat would listen. 

  


“Okay, I’m good.”

  


“Sure?”

  


“Yes.”

  


“Good because nervous people taste like shit.”

  


“What?”

  


“It’s the cortisol.”

  


“What’s that?”

  


“Wow you know shit-all about your own biology.” Levi shook his head; standing up from his seat, he moved closer to Eren and settled to his left side. The cat did not even twitch from her position near the armchair, looking over them like a predator—or rather looking specifically at Eren as such. He was so struck with Daffodil’s behaviour that Levi’s annoying little comment didn’t fully register with him.

  


“Is… is she watching us?”

  


“She’s a cat.”

  


“She looks judgemental.”

  


_Oh great. First you’re all jittery like a five years old and now you t_ _alk_ _crap about his cat. He’s frowning. Shit. Is he offended?! But Hanji said even worse things about her. But then Hanji is his best friend. Fuck._

  


“She’s really beautiful though?” Eren tried to do damage control. Levi simply stared at him—however, the nonchalance said a lot, so Eren swallowed and changed the subject. “So, how do we do this? Do I need to take off my t-shirt or if I just pull down to expose my neck is that enough?”

  


“You watch too many shitty TV shows, don't you?”

  


“Well won't you feed from the neck?”

  


“Technically I can do it from anywhere so why would I choose the neck specifically?”

  


“I don’t know?”

  


Levi “tch”ed under his breath.

  


“Your arm will do, come on.”

  


Eren extended his arm and Levi took it with both hands.

  


He had considered various aspects of the whole deal frequently throughout the week but he had never thought how it would feel to be touched by Levi. Turns out, unlike his mouth Levi’s hands were gentle and very much like his persona, cold. He couldn’t help the shiver that ran through his spine and felt embarrassed but Levi seemed to ignore it, which was a blessing.

  


“It will slightly sting and ache at first but it should mostly disappear soon after. I’ll make it as quick as I can, tell me if you ever feel faint or you simply don’t want to continue.”

  


“Okay.”

  


“Turn your face the other way.”

  


“It’s alright, I think? I never look away when I get blood drawn for tests and stuff either; I’m not really squicky about blood or needles.”

  


“You know not everything is for your own comfort right?”

  


It took Eren a second to decipher what Levi could have meant but when he did, he couldn’t help feeling disappointed in himself yet again for making assumptions that centred around his own comfort or curiosity alone. He wondered if Levi felt awkward or intimidated by doing this with an almost stranger, just as he did. Considering how Hanji previously described Levi and what Eren had seen of the man so far, he seemed like a very sensitive and rigorous kind of person, albeit brash and blunt.

  


“I’m sorry,” he apologised noting how Levi continued staring at the soft skin of the front of his arm, not acknowledging his words. Eren pondered whether it was because his many blunders so far had already taken a big toll on their budding donor-client relationship, or if Levi was simply bad at receiving apologies. Nevertheless, thinking that fixating on it longer would make it worse, Eren shifted a bit to face the other side of the room. 

  


Levi’s walls were painted a very light colour—almost white but tinted with green. He tried to come up with possible dainty names for the ton e  ( _Sea foam? Enchanted Forest Mist? Ocean breeze?_ ), try and distract himself from the fact that he was about to be bitten by a vampire. He had never been bitten by anyone or anything—friend or foe or even animal, not counting  mosquitoes. He felt Levi breathe then.

  


It was warm.

  


He couldn’t help his toes curl and heartbeat quicken—then came the bite.

  


It hurt.

  


It hurt and Levi’s mouth was wet and hot and he could feel Levi’s tongue lick his bare skin, his blood being sucked out his veins, more than painful it felt strange, an intrusion of the kind he has never felt before, the soft lapping of the tongue and the strong hold of the lips that was almost parasitic—he freaked out. He  freaked out and in panic, he pulled his arm violently, elbowing Levi on the chin in the process,  whose sharp fangs dragg ed a few centimetres on Eren’s skin, causing a shallow cut.

  


“Fuck.” Levi cursed and Eren crawled away on the sofa, almost disappearing in the corner as much as he could despite his large build, his nails digging on the cushions.

  


“I’m—“ he wasn’t sure how to explain or if any explanation would suffice. Out of words and still reverberating with anxiety, he quickly opted for an apology; “I’m sorry.”

  


Levi didn’t reply and instead made a hand gesture that Eren didn’t fully comprehend— _is that a stop or is that an OK or is that a shut up—shit—shit. I fucked it up._

  


When Levi finally  turned back , facing him, his eyes widened with surprise.

  


“The hell—cover your wound dumbass, you’re bleeding!”

  


“Huh? Ah. Yes.” Eren brought his hand over the small laceration that ran for about three centimetres from the crook of his elbow to his forearm. 

  


Levi palmed his face and Eren felt his shoulders  metaphorically  crack under the invisible weight of disappointment. His mind blank on what to say—what should be said in such a situation, he fretted yet another “sorry” in a breath.

  


“Stop apologising for fuck’s sake. There is nothing to apologise for.“

  


“I hit you!”

  


“Yeah, you did.”

  


Eren’s face fell but he heard Levi sigh softly, irritated but not furious.

  


“But you didn’t mean to, right?”

  


“I panicked.”

  


“I know. Look we don’t have to—“

  


“Don’t fire me yet!”

  


His ego and defences in tatters, determination amounted to nothing, he pleaded in a defying tone yet still very much against his nature; in fact right after the words left his mouth, he could not believe he had uttered them. He bit the insides of his lips harshly, cursing himself, cursing fate, cursing poverty.

  


“Eren…” Levi trailed off but then shook his head. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  


“Yes. I just—I just panicked alright, I’m not used to… it. Any of it. I was too tense.”

  


“Alright.”

  


“So…?” Eren lifted his face to hear the verdict, promising himself that he would not repeat the blunder of a second ago. If he would be let go, he would accept it tactfully. He could maybe borrow some money from his friends for the month, or sell his phone. 

  


“ _So,_ go and wash your arm and pray to God that you didn’t drop any blood on my  canapé.”

  


Eren blinked, baffled and uncertain he heard right.

  


“You’re not mad at me?”

  


“You socked me in the face, of course I am pissed but I’m pissed at myself too because I'm the experienced one here and I should've known better. I’ll be kicking your sorry ass if you dirty my furniture though.”

  


Eren was stuck between crying or laughing; he would probably succumb to either if his stomach was not in such tight knots, all his muscles too tense  still . 

  


“Okay… then.”

  


Levi got up from his seat, rubbing his chin with one hand while the other picked non-existent threads from his shirt. “The second door on the right in the hallway is the bathroom. Go, wash your arm. I’ll bring a clean t-shirt for you.”

  


“No need for that, this is still clean I think…” Eren mumbled, having a rather hard time adjusting back and reclaiming his lost self-esteem. 

  


“There are blood stains on it.” Levi pointed with a finger to the left side of his t-shirt that had tiny crimson spots which seemed to be already half-dry.

  


“It’s okay?”

  


“Don’t be disgusting.” Levi glowered. 

  


Eren furrowed his eyebrows and exhaled loudly. “Fine,” he muttered as he stood up from his seat, still holding his wound with his hand lest he stained Levi’s pristine house with his blood— _he’s a vampire, doesn’t he like blood?! Well… I wouldn’t want Nutella stains on my carpet or couch either I guess but still…_

  


Levi’s bathroom turned out to be as impeccable as rest of his house; not too big, not too small, perfectly clean and with too many bath products than Eren could ever fathom the function of. He cleaned his small injury under the running water and then washed his hands using the liquid hand soap that subtly smelt of green tea and ginger. Once he was done he reached for the towel only to stop and stare at it hard: all the towels were pure white. He had cleaned his injury and it didn’t seem to be bleeding any longer, but an irrational fear of somehow staining them gripped him. Even though his client hadn’t been too irked at receiving an elbow to his jaw and meal disrupted before it even properly began, somehow it felt like he would be truly miffed at a bloodstain on his towels. Or perhaps Eren was making a big deal out of it.

  


“Do you know how to use a towel or do you need help?”

  


He got a whiplash from how fast he moved his neck to look at the door which Levi had opened and was offering a navy blue t-shirt through.

  


Eren frowned and stole a towel from the holder that held three identically sized ones. 

  


“If it is your t-shirt, it probably won’t fit me.”

  


It was a petty comment but he couldn’t help throwing a jab; it also helped him feel better after how humiliated he felt in the last half an hour. Levi appeared to be completely unimpressed.

  


“You’re not the only giant I know.”

  


As if to prove Levi’s words, the t-shit he lent turned out to be very large. In fact, a size too big for Eren too. He looked at the unfolded t-shirt hanging from his hands as though it had performed a miracle and preached of divine duty.

  


“How do you even—“

  


“Long story. Bandages are in the kit under that cabinet. We’re in the kitchen, come when you’re done.”

  


Levi disappeared back into the hallway, closing the door behind him and Eren understood how he had not caught Levi’s entrance before; the man walked like a puma stalking its prey, sure but soundless steps. For a second there, Eren mused that Levi himself was like a cat indeed—no wonder he was so fond of his cat.

  


He found the small emergency kit and dressed his wound before changing into the t-shirt he borrowed. He couldn’t help feeling grumpy; it hadn’t been a great day in many accounts and the fact that what he was wearing looked like a father’s shirt on a not-yet-grown son further kicked his injured pride. He inhaled deep and exhaled. Repeated twice more. Once he felt his nerves relax enough that he could manage to socially function, he got out of the bathroom. He wandered into the living room again and was about to go through the door Hanji had used earlier, when his eyes caught the sight of the sofa. He quickly sneaked near it and confirmed his suspicions: Levi had indeed wiped the cushions with something that subtly smelt like lemons. Suddenly recalling Daffodil, he looked around, curious how the cat behaved in the absence of her dear owner, yet she didn’t seem to be in the room, unless she slept under one of the furniture or something, which Eren doubted. If anything, he surmised, Daffodil had a whole room to herself or at least a huge princess canopy cat bed. 

  


He dragged himself back towards the kitchen door.

  


_Inhale… and exhale._ _You can do this. You were only too nervous. Shit happens when you’re too nervous. There is nothing to blame yourself for. You’re good._

  


He grasped the doorknob and twisted, opening the door and taking in the sight of what seemed like a very cosy kitchen. It was not big; considering the other parts of the house, Eren would assume it to be larger. Yet it made sense; Levi probably did not use it much. The man himself was currently sitting in the nook at the corner. He was nursing a cup of tea in his hand and talking something with Hanji who was leaning onto the counter at the other side of the kitchen. They stopped their chatting once Eren came in. It was a bit awkward but he thought it made sense; he was close to his adviser but not so much to Levi whereas those two were best friends.

  


“Came just the right time!” Hanji smiled, regardless, walking over to place a plate of cookies on the small table. Eren politely smiled as he stepped towards the nook, sitting on the other side of the corner from Levi. Soon Hanji came back with a glass of milk and a cup of tea, Eren was about to be offended but Hanji put the tea in front of him, taking the glass of milk to themselves. They plopped near Eren.

  


“You really should try them, they’re wonderful.” They said as they grabbed one. “Mmm, Levi these are real nice…” They moaned which Levi responded with a side-eye.

  


Eren took one randomly and bit without thinking much, pit of his stomach still restless from earlier bouts of anxiety. The moment he actually tasted the food though, he couldn’t help moaning as well.

  


“This is so good,” he agreed after swallowing. “What does it have inside?”

  


“Pieces of almond and apricot jam; ground pistachios on the outside.”

  


Eren had expected his question to be answered by Hanji so he was a bit intrigued that it was Levi who gave the relatively detailed explanation. Since each cookie was a bit small, almost a bite-size, he reached for a second and chose one of the dark coloured ones, assuming it had chocolate in it. It indeed did and the jam filling of it tasted like raspberry.

  


“Chocolate raspberry?” He guessed while still chewing. Levi grimaced. 

  


“Yes. With crumbled walnuts.”

  


“Wow, these are amazing.”

  


“I told you so,” Hanji winked stealing two pieces at once and dipping one to their glass of milk.

  


“It’s almost like they’re homemade.” Eren commented as he went for another one and this time sipped from his tea right after, letting the buttery crumbs drown in the fragrant Earl Grey in his mouth; it tasted even more delicious.

  


“It is because they _are_ homemade.” Hanji explained, their mouth full of cookies and milk, voice muffled.

  


“Okay—can you two eat like civilised people or I’m taking the cookies away. You’re dropping crumbs everywhere.” Levi chided, his thin eyebrows drawn together and mouth in a small frown. Eren thought again how most of Levi’s features were small, except his shoulders that seemed rather wide for his frame. 

  


Eren coughed as a wordless apology while Hanji simply shrugged.

  


“Where do you buy them?” Eren asked in the hopes that small talk would dispel the awkward air between the two of them.

  


“I don’t buy them,” Levi informed him, “I make them.”

  


“You bake…” Eren gathered and Levi took a long sip from his tea.

  


“Yes.”

  


“I thought you said you didn’t eat food?”

  


“But we do!” Hanji chimed in helpfully. Eren shifted his gaze from Levi’s face to the cookies.

  


“Well, they are delicious; you must be a really talented baker Levi.” Eren concluded and took another one, following Hanji’s previous example and dipping it to his tea this time.

  


Levi shifted in his seat and sat straighter, taking his cup to his mouth and decidedly staring at the other side of the  kitchen . Eren was sure what he said was not awry and he had meant it too—he had genuinely appreciated the gesture and thought he had expressed it well enough. Hence, he was nonplussed as to why Levi seemed  rather  bothered. Hanji didn’t let him brood on the topic much though, nudging him;

  


“Want me to drop you off home?”

  


“It’s okay. The bus stop is not far away from here and it passes every fifteen minutes.”

  


“As you wish.” Hanji replied while Levi suddenly stood up drawing both their attention, only to go over to the counter and pour himself another cup of tea.

  


“Don’t mind his awkwardness,” Hanji whispered to Eren so that Levi couldn’t hear, “he is not used to meeting new people, let alone having them in his home.”

  


When Levi padded back towards them, Eren followed him closely with his eyes, noting how the slight bruising on his chin was already gone and the way he so delicately held the teacup from around its rim. After sitting to his spot again, Levi leaned to one side such that he almost turned his back to them. Eren peered at Hanji as if to ask what was happening but Hanji only gave a half smile and a shake of head, as if to emphasise their earlier point.

  


Thinking that spending more time near each other may only make the matters thornier between them, Eren decided that going home early would be a good choice.

  


“I think I should leave.”

  


“You can stay if you want to.” Hanji assured him.

  


“I actually have the night shift today so…”

  


“You’re already working?”

  


Eren glanced to his left and found Levi looking at him, his body twisted due to the way he was still sitting away from them.

  


“Yeah?”

  


He hoped it wasn’t a deal breaker—after all that happened today if he got dismissed only because he had another job, he would be very pissed. It wasn’t as if working two jobs was uncommon; though he doubted Levi would understand. Even though he was evidently not extravagant, given  the neighbourhood and house he lived in , from the tea he drank to the soaps he used, Levi seemed very much upper middle class  in the least . Eren wasn’t sure how such wealth could be possible by being a yoga instructor but then he had never been to yoga  classes  either; maybe Levi was popular amongst the millionaires with busy schedules who could only squeeze in night sessions. 

  


“What do you do?” Levi asked without a speck of judgement or doubt and with what sounded like genuine curiosity which confused Eren.

  


“Nothing fancy, just the local fast food joint.”

  


Levi nodded silently and returned to his tea. 

  


Eren scratched his nape, befuddled with the spontaneous bit of questioning. He then moved to stand up, Hanji scooting away to allow Eren exit.

  


“I’ll walk you out,” Hanji got up after him, despite Eren saying that it was unnecessary. He thanked to Levi for the tea and cookies, who only nodded in acknowledgement. When they were back in the living room, Hanji patted Eren on the shoulder.

  


“Don’t worry about him. As I said, he is—err, really not used to socialising?”

  


“No, it’s… He probably told you. It didn’t really go well.”

  


“Actually, I was thinking about that…” Hanji sighed, the curve of their lips disappearing into a much distressed line. “Did I push you into this? If you felt pressured because of me…”

  


“No, no. You know me; I wouldn’t get into this if I didn’t actually want it…”

  


“You sure?”

  


Eren chuckled; it was interesting how he had spent less time coming to a resolution and assuring himself than assuring Levi and Hanji of his choice, though the attention made him feel more secure and certain. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure. Come on, you couldn’t even get me to choose that demographics research despite pleading and promoting for two weeks.”

  


“You are a stubborn shit Mr. Jaeger and I value that and often treat you more as a friend than a student but,” Hanji sighed again, “I talked about it with Levi too and I think I should have been more careful and laid-back. It wasn’t proper of me… And this is not an excuse but I was just… really concerned about him.” They hinted towards the kitchen door with their thumb.

  


“I see…”

  


“He isn’t feeding properly and he has been bummed over his last donor moving. He cannot get used to people easily which I’m sure you already realised.”

  


“Kind of.”

  


“But my point is: _none_ of that is your problem. If you want out, he will understand and I will more than understand.  You don't have to do this if you don't feel comfortable about it.”

  


“It’s okay... To be honest, yes it didn’t work out today but I’m thinking… I want to try again? I was jumpy but I think I can manage to not be and if I can do that—it really is a good opportunity for me. Plus… Well, I already paid this month’s rent in full—my portion at least with all the money I have so if I don’t get a payment from here…” 

  


“Bah,” Hanji mock-punched his shoulder. “If it comes to that I’ll pay for this month and hey, he really isn’t a cold monster. It’s just he’s really prickly. A lot like his cat actually. Well, a bit better than her; she can stand only him while he can stand Isabel, Farlan, Mike, and me—at least for most of the time, that’s four people already.”

  


Eren smiled at the joke, mostly because it confirmed his opinion of Levi indeed resembling a cat, and looked around once more for Daffodil. 

  


“Which makes me remember I didn’t see her around before and I still don’t see her around?”

  


“I think he took her to her room?”

  


“She has a room... Why am I not surprised.”

  


“She has a cat tree that is more like a majestic château to be honest.” Hanji snorted, “At least she’s not around for more attacks. God, you wouldn’t believe how she gets sometimes.”

  


“Really?”

  


“Yeah. One day though—one day I’ll pet her and she won’t be able to bit or scratch me in return!” Hanji declared with enthusiasm, narrowing their eyes and shaking their head with full determination. Eren chuckled, aware that half of the antics were likely to get him to loosen up.

  


He was about to go back to the bathroom to get his dirty t-shirt back when the kitchen door opened and Levi came out, a paper bag in one hand and an empty plastic bag in the other. He walked towards them with an aloof expression and stood before Eren, presenting both the items which Eren took despite his puzzlement over what he was supposed to do with them. 

  


“You can put your dirty t-shirt in the plastic bag and bring the one you borrowed next time you’re over—just—ensure to wash it. Really well.”

  


“Ah,” Eren bit the inside of his upper lip to not smile; both giddy and relieved he replied, “thanks.”

  


“No problem,” Levi brushed off, looking around for a second before announcing, “I need to check on Daffodil, you know the way out?”

  


“Yeah, thanks again.”

  


Levi made a hand gesture from behind while he went away towards the hallway.  It was similar to the one he had done before and by now Eren guessed it meant something along the lines of “ _no worries_ ”.

  


“See,” Hanji grinned, “I told you. And I cannot believe him.”

  


“Hmm?” Eren glanced back only to find Hanji staring at the paper bag in his hand, which he had recognised was filled with something but he didn’t know what. He unfolded the top and spread the opening with his fingers… there were cookies inside.

  


Hanji crossed their arms and made a dramatically lamenting face. “Great. I’m his best friend but of course he bribes his donor. I cannot believe this.”

  


Eren tittered and folded the top of the bag again, thinking that he could take them home and maybe brew some tea in the evening after dinner, share them with Armin and Mikasa.

  


Perhaps it hadn’t been too bad a day.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case any of you are curious, here are the cookies Levi baked (they are both as delicious in real life too and go amazingly well with tea or milk):
> 
>  
> 
> [Apricot Thumbprints](http://www.marthastewart.com/342478/apricot-thumbprints)
> 
> [Raspberry Thumbprints](http://www.marthastewart.com/342474/raspberry-thumbprints)


	3. Chapter 3

After two days of quiet, he said “fuck it” and sent a message to Levi about the days he would be available for the next week. When he didn't get a reply in an hour, he felt anxious at first, his mind already wandering to how he could get the extra money to cover his expenses for the month, but then he remembered the hour; it was noon, time of the day he assumed Levi would be fast asleep.  _Must be like... midnight for him. Nice, I just sent him a message at midnight. How appropriate._

  


To silence his worries and stop staring at his phone every two minutes, he got up to clean the flat. It was as good as a distraction as any but halfway into his cleaning spree, he realised that it would definitely raise some eyebrows, some of which he would much prefer not raised. He had already ended up in a tough spot over the cookies he brought home from Levi's place and playing it ambiguous so as to avoid both lying and telling the truth had been rather difficult, especially under Mikasa's keen gaze. Hence, he decided to stop tidying up the place; considering how often he did it to avoid obsessive thoughts, either Mikasa or Armin or worse yet both could get suspicious. He instead diverted rest of his energy and attention to marathon the new anime Connie had been talking nonstop about. He wasn't very hopeful of its quality based on previous experiences with Connie's recommendations, but it did prove to be decent; though he was slightly intrigued and miffed that the whole 'ghoul' concept could be some sort of an analogy for vampires. Multiple episodes later and in the middle of a particularly action-filled scene his phone vibrated near him and he suddenly jumped, almost throwing his laptop off him to the ground. He was lucky that wasn't the case and he quickly grabbed his phone after placing his laptop away on the bed.

  


**[from: levi]**

**Wednesday evening sounds good to me. I will let Hanji know to see if they are okay with it.**

  


He bit his lip and considered the idea that had popped up in his mind for one more second before furiously tapping on the touchscreen:

  


**[to: levi]**

**it's ok they don't have to come**

  


The app showed Levi to be 'typing' for a bit but then stopped and Eren received nothing A whole minute passed and he wondered if he had pushed it too much; though he thought if anyone, it would have to be himself to make a problem out of it. Given how Levi had acted during their session, he had thought that Levi would be welcoming of the idea so he was puzzled as to why his client was being strangely mute about it. Perhaps he was reading too much into things. Perhaps Levi would send a response soon. He closely observed his phone, as though hypnotised, waiting for an answer that did not come for yet another minute. Then his phone started ringing, sending him into a small shock before he blinked and re-focused: the call was from Levi. He took a deep breath only to exhale it a little too quickly to not make Levi wait too long on the line; then he hit the green icon to accept.

  


“Are you sure?”

  


_Wow. He doesn't bother with pleasantries does he?_

  


“About Hanji not coming?”

  


“Yes...” 

  


“Is there a reason why they need to be there?”

  


Silence ensued.

  


He felt uneasy with these bouts of quiet, especially with what they could mean. He had not thought of Levi as dangerous per se, but he did not know much about the dynamics of feeding and his first and only experience hadn't been a complete one. He had simply felt the act to be too intimate to have a chaperon with them and Hanji was that, after all, and somewhere deep inside he felt that perhaps he would be more relaxed if he could do this in full privacy and not with someone next door waiting them to finish.

  


“There... really isn't.” Levi finally conceded. “It was mostly for you.”

  


“And I don't think I need it. I think we...” _know each other? Well, not so much. Trust each other? Nope, not really. Respect? I'm not sure he respects me actually; he probably does I guess but… Understanding? Yes. Yes, I think so… right..._ “I think we have an understanding...”

  


“Hmm...”

  


“Look if you feel more comfortable with Hanji present, I don't mind it either... I was just thinking...”

  


“Thinking what?”

  


“Thinking that it may be easier if we were alone...”

  


He heard Levi clear his throat on the other end of the line.

  


“Fine,” he said, “they don't have to be present.”

  


“Okay. How is Wednesday 5 pm for you? Too early?”

  


“No, it's good.”

  


“Cool.... so... see you then, I guess?”

  


“Alright. Bye.” 

  


He exhaled loudly the instant he heard the beep indicating that Levi had hung up. 

  


_You can do it Eren Jaeger. You've donated blood so many times and this is pretty much that. Only with fangs. And mouths. And sucking. Oh God it is nothing like that. Shit. Think about the cheque you'll get at the end. You can do it._

  


* * *

  


Despite the many days of self-motivation and excessive online research into the matter, he still felt awkward standing in front of Levi's house on Wednesday 4:55 pm. He paced around the garden, smelling the freshly blossomed azaleas to dispel his stress. There was no reason to be so nervous; the worst that could happen was that he would not be able to go through with it, which had already happened once and hence he knew Levi would not react badly to such a turn of events. Still, the knowledge did little to calm him down; the core of the matter was much more visceral, he had realised over the last few days. 

  


When Levi bit him, he bit him. It was very physical and up-close; he could feel the fangs rip through his skin and sink into his flesh. He had never experienced such physical intimacy and worse yet was having it in a position where he was essentially... 'food'. He tried to ignore that fact, including the bit about how risky it all was—Levi could kill him, if he wanted to. He would not, Eren knew; in a wider scope his intellect also reminded him that anyone could try and kill him—anyone he let his guard down around, from his friends to teachers, from customers to the cranky manager at work. The act of killing was not a capacity exclusive to Levi, he reminded himself, but it was Levi who would be literally using him for nutrition, not others. The more he thought about it, the more his stomach clenched; there was a big difference between knowing and feeling; there was a big difference between philosophical considerations and emotional responses. He knew yet he was distressed. 

  


He thought of leaving for a second and knew that Levi would never blame him for it, nobody would blame him for it. And interestingly it was this assurance that gave him the resolution to step forward and press the buzzer. This was his decision. This was a job he took. He believed in his strength to go through with it and he believed in the core kindness of the job; that he was helping someone, regardless of how society perceived this act and regardless of what evolution taught his instincts over thousands of years. He would feed this miserable, socially awkward vampire and earn his living for the month.

  


Levi opened the door so quickly that Eren wondered if he had been waiting near it.

  


“Hi.”

  


“Hi...”

  


He tried to smile as he entered the house, noting how quiet the house was this time and when they made it to the living room, there was nobody except them; not even Daffodil.

  


“Uh, Daffodil is not around?”

  


“I hope you were not planning on taking your chance and pet her?” Levi moved to the kitchen while Eren stood in the middle of the living room, feeling rather out of place and useless. He swung the plastic bag in his hand like a lazy pendulum; he had brought back the t-shirt he had borrowed from Levi. It had been washed twice so he hoped it was up to Levi's standards.

  


“No... just surprised.”

  


“She's playing in her room,” Levi explained coming back with a tray in his hand, “sit.”

  


Eren followed and sat on the same sofa that they had used in their first session, putting the plastic bag on the carpet near it; there was a small, ornate coffee table right before the sofa this time, seemed to be part of one of those nested sets. It made Eren remember his grandmother's house where such tables were always stacked at a corner and taken out for serving the guests for afternoon or evening tea. He watched Levi gingerly put the tray before him; there were two porcelain teacups adorned with floral designs and delicate handles, like those seen in TV dramas set in the Victorian era, and a small glass bowl filled up to the brim with tiny flower shaped cookies. He blinked at the spread before him.

  


“We're having tea?”

  


“We are having tea.” Levi confirmed and pushed one of the cups closer to Eren before taking his own seat next to him.

  


“Why?”

  


“You don't want to?”

  


“No, I don't mind, but I mean why?”

  


Levi sighed irritatedly and pursed his lips for a bit, as if he had just eaten something sour, then took his own cup with the saucer in hand and starting sipping from his tea.

  


“Sometimes it is good to eat up before the feeding.”

  


“I thought it would be better to afterwards since I'll be losing blood?”

  


“Nobody said I won't feed you afterwards—Will you please just drink your goddamn tea?”

  


Eren rolled his eyes, wondering what kind of etiquette Levi followed because his verbal manners surely did not follow his attentive hosting. He took a sip from the tea, assuming it would be some sort of a green tea based on the colour, only to realise it was herbal. In fact just before the taste settled on his tongue, he felt the whiff of camomile hitting his nose pleasantly.

  


“Camomile tea?”

  


“You don't like it?”

  


“Nah, I actually like it a lot... Mum used to brew it for me when I couldn't sleep.” Eren answered before taking one of the cookies, barely bigger than a small coin, into his mouth. “Mm... these ones I can't tell what they have inside.”

  


Levi snorted and Eren peered to his usually stoic client, surprised and unsure if the sound of amusement he heard was indeed true.  _He's really proud of his baking huh._

  


“They are Earl Grey cookies.” Levi answered.

  


“Earl Grey? As in the tea?”

  


“Yeah.”

  


“Wow, do they have the real tea inside?”

  


“Yes, a great quality one too.”

  


Eren took another and let it melt over his tongue. “Mmm, they are really good. Now that I know I can taste the bergamot actually.” 

  


When he glanced again, he could clearly see a side of Levi's lips curved up smugly.

  


“You baked them I assume?”

  


“Of course.” Levi said as though the question was blasphemous. 

  


Eren had a hard time keeping in the giggle that bubbled up in him against Levi's expression and opted to achieve composure by keeping his mouth busy with more tisane and cookies. While the silence was not upsetting, it was rather boring, so after a few minutes spent listening to the noises of chewing and gulping and the birds chirping outside, he asked.

  


“You said 5 pm wouldn't be too early for you but how long do you sleep normally?”

  


Levi regarded him for a moment which made him ponder whether or not his query had been improper. Levi shrugged then and drank from his tea a bit more before replying.

  


“A few hours around noon or in the early afternoon usually.”

  


“Oh... that's enough? Like that's the vampire average?”

  


“No. We generally need sleep about the same length as humans, only difference is that we are nocturnal.”

  


“Ah... so you are like, insomniac then?”

  


“Pretty much.”

  


“That sucks.”

  


“No shit...” Levi deadpanned. 

  


“Uh... sorry about before then.”

  


“About what?”

  


“I messaged you just around your sleeping time?”

  


“That's fine. I keep my phone on mute when I sleep anyway.”

  


“Oh, well, good I guess.”

  


Eren continued stuffing himself while thinking of what to use for chit-chat; he was never good at it and Levi's own lack of skills in this department did not help.

  


“Do you have the night shift at the work tonight?” Levi asked some time later and much unexpectedly.

  


“Nope. Not working today.” 

  


He expected Levi to elaborate as to why he had asked such a strange question but Levi simply kept on slowly drinking his tea, thoughtful. So Eren chose to let it go and eat a few more cookies, now throwing two at a time to his piehole rather ungracefully.

  


“You know I will make you clean the crumbs you scatter around afterwards...” Levi pointed after a few minutes and Eren almost choked on what he was nibbling.

  


“I'm eating properly!”

  


Levi's eyes fell to Eren's lap then and Eren himself gazed down to find a few tiny buttery specks over his thighs.  _Shit._

  


They stared at each other then for a second and Eren grumpily surrendered: “Fine, fine, I'll clean it up.”

  


“You're saying that as if you had a choice...” Levi snidely remarked before leaning forward to put his empty cup back on the tray. In the increased proximity between them, Eren could vaguely smell the lavender diffused onto Levi's skin and clothes. He wondered if Levi had smelt as such the first time too but he had been too nervous to recognise. He hoped he himself smelt just as clean and decent; knowing Levi's ways, he had bathed specifically long and scrubbed himself hard with the shea butter soap, courtesy of the extravagant gift basket Jean had given Mikasa on her last birthday. It would take them years to finish all the items in it. 

  


“Do I need to do it right away?” Eren asked, munching on the last piece of cookie. 

  


“You can do it later.”

  


“Okay,” Eren swallowed a final, big mouthful from his tea, draining all that was left in his cup and put it away.

  


“So,” he turned to Levi who seemed to be staring at him intently.

  


“Are you sure?”

  


“If you ask me if I am sure one more time I am not cleaning anything.” Eren answered smirking; it took all his confidence to say that. He hoped he could convince Levi because as intimidated as he was, he wanted to continue.

  


Levi's eyes widened momentarily and he shook his head, muttering something inaudible under his breath. 

  


“Give me your arm.”

  


“Wow, so polite.” Eren groused as he rolled his left arm's sleeve up. Levi did not answer and instead took a deep breath before grasping the limb. He held it even more carefully than the last time—perhaps Eren's mind was playing games with him but he could swear Levi was being even more cautious. 

  


“If you feel like you are panicking again, say 'stop' and I will, okay?”

  


“Okay.”

  


“Okay. Now take a deep breath,” Eren followed and inhaled large before exhaling per Levi's instructions, “and turn your head,” he shifted to face the other side of the room, “and close your eyes.”

  


He found it a bit odd; to sit right next to someone who would start feeding on him in mere minutes but his eyes would be closed. He agreed regardless, hoping that it would alleviate his disquiet—he believed that was why Levi suggested it too.  _Maybe Levi feels more comfortable like this too; who knows_ . He closed his eyes, waiting for Levi to bite but nothing happened for a moment.

  


“Now inhale again,” Levi said softly, in fact so softly that Eren was bemused before he inhaled in accordance and then when Levi said “and exhale” in the same tone, something between a velvet or a feather, he obeyed without thinking. 

  


He felt Levi's warm breath ghost over the smoothness of his skin, could not help his own heartbeat to speed up; “deep breaths,” he heard Levi murmur onto his flesh then and tried his best to level his breathing. Levi's fangs soon touched his skin but did not stab, they simply continued lightly pressing. Suddenly, it was as if all of Eren's body had been transformed into his arm alone; he felt this particular organ so heavily, so wholly that it was as if no other parts of his body existed. Then he felt a caress, a thumb slowly drawing circles on the side of his arm, dragging down centimetre by centimetre each time, and soon down to his wrist and then dropping further into his palm, it lingered there a bit before pressing gently and Eren found his hand clasped within Levi's cool one. 

  


Levi made him curl his fingers into a fist and cradled his own over, even though his fingers were much smaller and thinner, Eren could swear his hand was completely enveloped. At most a second later, he felt the sizzling pain. 

  


Fangs sank into him and he gasped and he felt Levi's hand squeeze his in support. He tried concentrating on his respiration and think of something else but it was rather difficult as he felt the tingling over the crook of his elbow, Levi's hot mouth sucking softly, the tiny sounds akin to a slurp escaping him now and then; it was almost surreal and— _wow a vampire is feeding on me_ . _He—he is feeding on me._

  


He gulped subconsciously; Levi clutched on his fist firmer and Eren nodded without a thought as if to confirm to Levi that he was still alright though he was not sure if Levi was even looking at him. He did not know how vampire table manners went and that very thought intrigued him; he wondered if vampires indeed had various etiquette like humans did. He hypothesised that perhaps Levi's request for him to look the other way was part of such particular civility, but it could very well be Levi's own personal preference too; he did not want to generalise yet his curiosity was piqued. He debated internally whether or not asking that would be a faux pas. 

  


He heard a distinct “mm”, almost a tiny moan and somehow he wanted to chuckle. He did not know what made it so funny to him so abruptly and with surprise realised that it didn't hurt much anymore. He was not sure when did his thoughts started wandering away but diversion sure worked like a charm and before he knew it, Levi's fangs were no more in his flesh; a wet tongue licked what Eren thought were the 'remains' of the meal and it tickled but he managed to keep his demeanour calm and serious. The next second, moist heat of Levi's mouth was completely gone.

  


Eren opened his eyes but did not turn his face yet, sighing to himself in relief and feeling a numb aching over the crook of his elbow. 

  


“Um Levi?”

  


“You don't have to stare at the wall all day long.”

  


_Oh but why, the wall is so goddamn interesting after all I was just looking at it because it is such a work of art..._

  


Eren turned his body so that he was at a forward angle with Levi and as his eyes took in the sight before him, he felt impressed almost; Levi's pale cheeks were pink and he kept licking his lips like a kid who had just eaten honey. Having had a good meal certainly showed and Eren was in this conflicting mood where he felt kind of proud with the successful service he had provided and also awkward because this was, all things considered, the most intimate act he ever did.  _Does this count as some kind of kissing? He was mouthing my arm…_

  


“You're good?”

  


Levi lowly coughed. “Yeah.”

  


“Okay.”

  


“I need to go brush my teeth.”

  


“You're gonna brush your teeth?!”

  


Eren was curious enough that he got up after Levi and started following him towards the bathroom. Levi's movements were not as perfectly fluid as they usually were, in fact they seemed slower and sluggish. Eren mused whether or not this was like how he felt after a huge feast. Or perhaps it was his own perception skewed because he definitely felt dizzy.

  


“Why are you following me?”

  


“Uh. Just. Curious. So you're gonna brush your teeth?”

  


“Yes?” Levi grunted, frowning before stopping in front of his flawlessly white marble sink.

  


“Why? Did I taste bad?”

  


Levi's hand halted right above the glass toothbrush holder and he tilted his head, glaring at Eren.

  


“What?”

  


“Why else would you want to brush your teeth?”

  


“The lack of blood is getting to your head isn't it?”

  


Eren pouted; he did feel dazed, he wouldn't deny. But Levi rushing to brush his teeth had truthfully confused him. It also did not help that Levi hadn't mentioned how well Eren's performance had been; it was his first time donating blood like this and he wanted to ensure that he didn't mess up. If there was anything he could do better, he would like to know. 

  


“Wow.” Levi intoned, “You're serious about this?”

  


“Okay. Fine. Forget about it.”

  


“You tasted... alright.”

  


“Alright? Like how _alright_? 'Store bought mac and cheese alright' or 'actual Italian restaurant pasta alright'?”

  


“I've never eaten either of those.”

  


“Not even before you were turned?”

  


“We were too poor to go to a restaurant and mum hated ready-made stuff so she cooked.”

  


“Oh.”

  


Levi sighed and pinched out a bit of toothpaste onto his too-sleek-looking electric toothbrush.

  


“You tasted fine. More than alright. Your iron level is very good so it makes it sufficiently metallic.”

  


“Is... is that good? Metallic? That just sounds bad to me.”

  


“It is good for us and our taste buds don't work the same way.”

  


“Fair enough.” Eren nodded to himself, reclining his shoulder on the door frame now that his head felt even more so spinning. Nevertheless another idea itched between his nerve cells.

  


“So wait, if it tasted good, why are you brushing your teeth?”

  


Levi rolled his eyes and continued brushing his teeth. After a full cycle of thoroughly cleaning both upper and lower teeth, he spat out what was a mixture of blue, white, and red. Eren thought it looked like those times when he brushed his teeth when he was angry and he'd put too much pressure to his left side which was a bit tender and then it would bleed a little.

  


“Hygiene.”

  


“You are a vampire. It's not like you'll get cavities.”

  


“Jesus Christ...” Levi washed his hands and then took a bit of water into his mouth to lightly gargle and then spew. “Do you like garlic? Most people who like garlic will still brush their teeth afterwards.”

  


“Hell yeah. But garlic stinks—deliciously, in my humble opinion, but it has a rather peculiar smell that not all can appreciate, sadly.”

  


“And you think blood doesn't? Let me tell you, it does. Also I'm not particularly fond of its scent.”

  


“Wow. That's interesting.”

  


“Isn't there anything you like the taste of but not the smell of?”

  


“Hmm...” Eren started pondering this tough question while Levi quickly dried his hands on one of the towels and stepped outside. Eren motioned to stand up to follow but the second he straightened it was as if his brain simply hopped upside down in his skull and he felt the ground beneath him being pulled. He tried to hold onto the door frame but before he could do that he felt the strong grip of an arm around his waist.

  


“Tch,” Levi scowled, “you really should not be moving about.”

  


“Why n—ah, the blood...”

  


“Yeah, _the blood_. Come on.”

  


It was rather strange to be dragged around by a man almost thirty centimes shorter than him; there were many times he was pulled to place (or out of fights) by Armin but Armin was both taller than Levi by a hand's length or so and moreover in those cases he didn't lay all his weight onto his friend. As they padded towards the living room, however, Levi easily carried most of Eren's weight, making Eren wonder how well-built he was. He knew that vampires had better stamina and agility though strength could vary a lot and was rarely superior to non-vampire humans, according to the studies he read at least. 

  


Levi brought him back to the sofa and he plopped himself rather clumsily, sprawling immediately. He had not felt that dizzy when Levi had first finished feeding and he couldn't fathom why it hit him hard afterwards.

  


“Lethargy is normal.”

  


_Holy shit. No, no, Jaeger get yourself together. You know very well that telepathy and mind-reading legends are bullshit. Only to further dehumanise vampires. You studied this shit. He must have guessed it because you probably look very out of it. Yes that must be it._

  


“Why are you gawking at me?”

  


“Um... no reason?”

  


Levi glanced at the ceiling and then looked down; he seemed like a looming god of sorts to Eren despite the modest black shirt and charcoal slacks he wore.  _It's in his eyes... too knowing, as if piercing my soul. He may not be able to read my thoughts but he's like super intuitive. Is it because he's a vampire?_

  


“Do you need to shit or something?”

  


_Okay maybe not. Ugh, I'm doing what I keep on telling people not to do. Do not exoticise vampires Eren. Stop being a shithead only because your head is… not so sound. Right now. This will pass... right? Fuck I hope it will pass quick._

  


“No.”

  


“Good 'cause I'm not fucking carrying you back to the bathroom.”

  


Eren groaned and put a hand over his face. He was annoyed with how frail he felt, how weird thoughts came to him, and how vulnerable he was. 

  


“I'll get you something to eat, you stay here and don't wander, understood?”

  


“But I just drank tea and ate cookies?”

  


“That was before you lost 150 mL of blood.”

  


“Exactly 150 mL?”  
  


“I don't have a beaker in my mouth Eren, I don't know, but I tried to keep it around that...” Levi scratched the side of his head, upsetting his finely styled hair and the gesture somehow amused Eren. His mood was rather mercurial.

  


“Just sit tight okay? You shouldn't walk around until you eat something and feel better.”

  


Eren smiled awkwardly to himself after Levi turned his back and hurried to the kitchen. As foul mouthed and distant as he was, Levi was also a stellar host without any doubt. He was contemplating about the colour scheme of Levi's living room, when his attention was captured by an intruding “meow”. He sat up and scanned around, finding Daffodil on the other side of the room squarely staring back at him.

  


Before he could get intimidated the cat started walking towards him without moving her eyes off his face; it was as if he had mesmerised the animal and he really liked the idea of it, especially when Daffodil finally stopped and sat right in front of him. 

  


They looked at each other quietly for a bit; she did not seem aggressive at all.

  


_Ah… they were exaggerating and I just got caught up in their gibberish last time huh... Aw. She's so cute. Wow her eyes are really green._

  


“Hello Daffodil...” he cooed to her and she did not seem ruffled, neither too intrigued nor bothered. Finding strength in her indifference he leaned forward a bit and waved a little “hi” with his fingers, beaming to her, “I'm Eren.”

  


Daffodil's face went through a minuscule change that he could catch and she moved a step closer, striking Eren's heart with a cruel arrow of Cupid. She was so beautiful and the fact that she did not shy away from him, instead scooting closer and closer—he was sure now that Hanji had been scaring the poor thing with their buzzing energy. In any case, animals always liked him; he had not met a single animal, cat or dog or bird or snake or any really that didn't automatically fancy him. Surely, Daffodil couldn't be an exception, especially when she was so well-behaved like this.

  


“You don't mind me, huh baby? You don't mind good ol' Eren right? I'll be nice and sweet to you because you are a princess...” He lowered himself on the couch and reached down.

  


Just as his hand was near Daffodil's head's level, she promptly jumped and slashed with her claws, drawing a shriek from Eren. Levi ran inside in an instant.

  


“The hell—oh... Daffodil.”

  


“She attacked me!” Eren exclaimed, more in shock and horror than pain, but the cat seemed to be only interested in the return of her owner, swiftly getting on her paws and moving towards Levi. 

  


“I told you not to pet her.” Levi shrugged while Daffodil purred and snaked between his legs.

  


“I—I cannot believe this.”

  


“Well get used to it. She is not generous with her love.”

  


“But a lot with her claws apparently,” Eren muttered looking at the cat more with hurt than anger. He felt betrayed and played, his fragile heart broken by a cruel enchantress. Interestingly the nonchalance of the cat only furthered his fascination.

  


Levi snorted before disappearing into the hallway instead of going back to the kitchen. A few minutes later he was back with the small emergency kit in his hand. He threw it onto the cushion next to where Eren sat and went back into the kitchen, Daffodil following him like a faithful apostle. 

  


_Why can't she like me like ten percent of how much she likes him. What does she even find in him. He is so crabby. I'm much more likeable._

  


Eren cleaned the thin lacerations over his hand and then bandaged them, a bit curious how where Levi bit had no bleeding wound at all and even Daffodil's claws had left a much larger legacy than Levi's fangs.  _Is that normal? Should I ask about that? But there was that thing in that one blog about the clotting being faster after feeding, I wonder if that's why._

  


Levi came back only to take away the tray of their previous tea meal and then came a second and final time with another tray in his hands, with a bowl that had steam coming off it and a few slices of bread.

  


Eren looked at the food in front of him.

  


“Ah, it's stew?”

  


“Yeah.”

  


“Um does it have meat in it?”

  


“No? It's vegetarian.”

  


“Thanks... just, sorry if I'm being picky but did you add any wine or anything alcoholic in it?”

  


“No?” Levi seemed positively puzzled. 

  


“Good. It's just, I'm a Muslim so I try to be careful.”

  


Levi “hmm”ed as he sat next to Eren and Daffodil was quick to snuggle close to him.

  


“You wanna come up?” Levi asked her as if she would understand. Perhaps she did because she climbed over and sat on Levi's lap.

  


“I can't believe this.” Eren protested. “She attacks me and she... she swoons at you.”

  


“Because I'm her owner. Now eat your meal.”

  


“Okay,” Eren said, breaking a piece of bread and dipping it into the stew, “I didn't know you cooked too. I mean, I supposed this is homemade?”

  


“It is homemade,” Levi emphasised, “I don't cook usually... but I'm not too bad at it.”

  


Eren could hardly keep the moan in as he chewed on his mouthful; the bread was fresh, likely homemade too, and the stew tasted wonderful. He could discern pieces of eggplant, zucchini, green peas, and chickpeas, as well as an array of spices from cumin to coriander.

  


“This,” he swallowed, “is amazing.”

  


Levi shook his shoulders as if to tell he didn't care for the compliment, still he mentioned, “it's an old family recipe.”

  


“Nice... I wish I could cook this well.”

  


“You're just exaggerating; this is basic.”

  


“I'm not a very good cook. I mean, I am decent I guess given the average university student skill-set in the kitchen. By the way this is for sure not basic.”

  


Levi hummed thoughtfully while he gently scratched Daffodil, who purred pleasantly in response. 

  


Eren had not realised how hungry he had been but he gobbled up the food much faster than usual; Levi's superior cooking talent likely had a role in it as well. Once he was finished, he blinked and checked himself mentally, finding that his mind was already very clear and that he felt his limbs strong and sound once again. Levi shifted, probably to take away the tray, but Eren acted faster. His mother had always taught him that it was important to not let a host coddle you and assist them to show your appreciation. The least he could do was to take the tray back to the kitchen.

  


“I'll put it on the counter, is that okay?” He asked as he got up.

  


“You're feeling fine?”

  


“Yeah. No dizziness whatsoever.”

  


“Good, yeah just leave it on the counter then.”

  


“Thanks. It was delicious.”

  


“No problem.”

  


Eren gave a small, polite smile to Levi who shifted his gaze to Daffodil on his lap instead; such dismissal bummed Eren a bit but he thought it might have been related to what Hanji had been saying about Levi. He himself was not an easy person to get along with and had been alienated from his peers throughout most of his education until university, not counting Mikasa and Armin.

  


He couldn't help noting just how neat Levi's kitchen was when he dropped off the tray onto the kitchen counter; everything was perfectly clean and organised. He wondered how much time this all took;  _does Levi clean everything by himself or does he hire someone to help? Hmm..._

  


He strutted back to the living room, ready to get his cheque, say his good-bye and head home.

  


There was already an envelope on the coffee table he previously ate on.

  


“It's the payment?”

  


“Yes.”

  


“Okay. Thanks. So I guess, I'll leave? Thanks for the food again.”

 

“Aren't you forgetting something?”

  


“Well? I didn't come with a coat or anything… oh and I left the t-shirt I borrowed; it's in the plastic bag there. I swear I washed it clean.”

  


“The crumbs. From the cookies. You added to them with the bread too.” Levi pointed to the cushion with his head and then glared at the floor too. “There are some even on the carpet.”

  


_Was he really serious about that?!_

  


“The handheld vacuum cleaner is in the bottom cabinet at the edge to the left side of the door in the kitchen.”

  


“You... are serious.” Eren reasoned.

  


“Of course I am serious. You're not leaving the house until you clean this mess.”

  


Levi gave him such a harsh look that Eren could not dare object.

  


“Okay.” He droned before turning back to where he had come from, on a mission to find the handheld vacuum, still in a bit of disbelief.

  


At least he was fell fed.

  


 

 


	4. Chapter 4

 

He found two cheques in the envelope Levi gave him: one for the session they just had and one for the failed first session. He was already in the bus when he found out and at first he thought of returning back but that would mean making it home very late and after Mikasa, which he wanted to avoid.

 

On one hand, he was offended. It felt like charity; why accept money for work he technically had not done? On the other hand, he thought it made sense. While he had not performed as expected, he had still gone over to Levi and spent the allocated time.

 

_To eat his cookies and drink his tea...?_

 

It was undeniable, given how horrible his account balance at the bank was, the idea of thrice the pay for the month was very alluring too. There was a lot he could with another 800 dollars. _Eight. Hundred._ He could buy that bike he wanted and even more; it was his dream to get a bike so that he could travel around the city easily and without costing anything, other than some energy. _It will be a good workout too... If I get it of course... I could so get it..._

 

He spent the whole bus ride home pondering along those lines, wondering what to do. By the time he entered home, he had decided on giving the cheque back to Levi as that seemed to be the only option that satisfied his pride though somewhere in his heart the appeal of extra pay still remained. He sprawled on the couch and took his laptop on his lap, deciding to use his precious free afternoon finishing up that blog post he had been working on the whole week. The topic he tackled was rather interesting and he hoped it would bring a few more people to his patreon account. After a couple of sentences edited and a couple more written though, he had to double check a fact about Islamophobia in the Netherlands and somehow that google search led to other various google searches which led to a Wikipedia page on cycling in Amsterdam which further digressed into him looking at the bicycle prices on eBay.

 

“You're hungry?”

 

“Holy Shit! Mikasa!” He squeaked, hastily closing the eBay tab.

 

“What?”

 

“When did you come home? I didn't even hear you.”

 

“I did say I'm home but you were too engrossed with your thing... You hungry? I'm making grilled cheese for myself.”

 

“Nah, I'm good.”

 

“You already ate?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“You cooked? But I don't see any signs of fire.”

 

“First of all, I can cook if I like to. I mean, I make amazing omelettes okay? Without posing any fire hazards.”

 

“We are out of eggs.”

 

“That's beside the point.”

 

“What did you eat?”

 

“Really? Do you want to know how many glasses of water I drank too mum?”

 

“I'm just making small talk you shit.” Mikasa popped her head from the kitchen door, schooling Eren with a daring stare.

 

“Fine.” Eren muttered and dragged his fingertip on the touchpad as though he was actually doing something, in truth he was just dragging his cursor around on the screen aimlessly. “I ate out.”

 

“I thought you were broke?” Mikasa's voice came, not specifically interested; she had disappeared back into their tiny kitchen.

 

“I'm not _that_ broke and it was something simple... didn't cost much.”

 

_Or at all. Technically I'm not lying. Technically it was something very simple—just bread and stew._

 

“Cool.”

 

_Whew._

 

Eren switched back to the Google Docs tab; thinking he could go back to writing his post, he read the last sentence he wrote: “ _Islam as a religion is racialised to the point that a White Muslim convert is 'other'ed, losing not all but certain aspects of their White privilege._ ” _Okay what was I going to follow this up with.._ . _Hmm..._

 

“That looks more like an NYT op-ed than a blog post Eren.”

 

“Shit,” Eren jumped on his spot, twisting to see Mikasa nibbling on a piece of grilled sandwich, holding the plate with the other hand, standing behind the couch peering to his screen.

 

“Are you seriously sneaking up on me?”

 

“It is not my problem that you become completely unaware of your surroundings when you are focused on something.” Mikasa shrugged, slowly chewing her food. “Do you really need a bibliography on a blog post?”

 

“I have to show my references.”

 

“Isn't this for your Tumblr blog?”

 

“It doesn't matter that it is Tumblr.”

 

“You don't need it for it to be popular though?”

 

“I am not aiming for fame though I am aiming for genuinely contributing to the community so of course I will publish my references.”

 

“Using EndNote and in MLA?”

 

“I'm just used to it! Plus it looks good...”

 

“All I'm saying is that you are putting a great deal of effort into this so why not do it for a newspaper or one of those liberal news sites? Huffpost and so on?”

 

“Because they are only interested in exploiting my labour and would even try to police my content, whereas I am free on my own blog.”

 

“Free and penniless.” Mikasa added walking around the couch and taking a seat near Eren.

 

“It's not like I choose to be poor...” Eren snapped, glaring at his half finished article; his motivation fading into nothingness.

 

“Sorry, didn't mean to make you mad...” Mikasa mumbled before putting the empty plate away on the second-hand coffee table they had next to the couch. It trembled slightly and Mikasa leaned down to push the displaced piece of cardboard that they kept under its shaky leg to balance.

 

“Like even if I just kicked my conscience away and applied, their answer won't be any different than places I already applied; I'll either be rejected or accepted for a stunning salary of ' _experience_ '.”

 

Mikasa hummed, pensive, then chimed with a tender voice; “I brought chocolate. Sasha gave them to me earlier this morning. They look real good quality too. I think Belgian? Want some?”

 

“Yeah. Yeah, that sounds great.”

 

Mikasa smiled and patted his shoulder before getting up to wander to her room, likely to bring the modest dessert and Eren felt pangs of guilt claw his insides. He did not want to lie or hide things from the people he loved and cared the most, but the knowledge of how Mikasa would react to his new job dropped a pinning weight down into the pit of his stomach.

 

“You okay?”

 

He blinked and found Mikasa already back in the living room and only a few steps away. _Damn why must her eyesight be so perfect and movements so silent and fast._

 

“Yeah, I'm okay.” He smiled, knowing full well that he could not fool Mikasa but hoping that she would assume his unease to be due to the distasteful topic of his finances they had just brought up.

 

The tiny patch of skin where Levi had drank his blood from and licked—licked so hungrily and thirstily— felt pained out of blue even though it did not have any wound or a scar left behind. Mikasa offered him a small box of chocolates and he smiled, weary.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“You don't get it: we studied the whole night. Sasha ate only a turkey sandwich for breakfast.”

 

“That does sound serious.” Jean snorted.

 

Sasha rolled her eyes; “Not that you would understand. You're doing half the credits we do.”

 

“And I'm doing a minor in addition to my major.” Jean retorted.

 

“But you're not doing Industrial work for half the week and then studying rock and soil characterisation the rest. In summer.” Connie flailed. “In summer, dude! Do you know how boring it is?! We literally study rocks. _Soil_. We are studying friggin' soil!”

 

“Why did you choose mining engineering if you hate rocks and stuff so much?”

 

“As if I had a choice...” Connie slumped back on his chair.

 

“And it's not like you started doing a minor in Economics because you love it.” Sasha drawled.

 

“Well I don't hate it either...” Jean scoffed but upon the three judging gazes focusing on him, he sighed, “most of the time at least...”

 

“More like only when you take a common course with Armin you magically start liking it,” Connie winked and before Jean, it was Eren who groaned loudly.

 

“I'm all for a round of _let's pick on Jean_ game but can we please not bring that up?”

 

“There is no ' _that_ '.” Jean bit back.

 

“Dude you've been harbouring the most disgusting crush ever that even Eren is aware of it.”

 

Eren first nodded but then furrowed his eyebrows, turning to Connie; “What is that supposed to mean? 'Even Eren'?”

 

Sasha chuckled while Connie gave a cheeky grin; “Let's say you're not the most... perceptive when it comes to romance.”

 

“It is true that I don't get the logic or mechanics of it about 80% of the time but I'm not that oblivious.”

 

“You dated a girl for two weeks not knowing you were dating her.” Jean reminded him.

 

“Okay, first of all: I did not date her.”

 

When his friends tittered in response, Eren's anger rose.

 

“No, seriously. Look she only asked me if I would like to get coffee together and I said fine. That's it.”

 

“Then she asked you for lunch.” Jean added.

 

“And then for dinner... in a French restaurant.” Connie grinned.

 

“And she wanted to walk to school with you.” Sasha lilted.

 

“Friends do have coffee or lunch or dinner together! And some people for some reason actually like French food okay—” Jean glared at that but Eren ignored it, “and I did reject when she asked to walk to school together because I always walked school with Armin and Mikasa anyway.”

 

“She had asked you out, Eren, and took you on dates.” Jean crossed his arms over his chest.

 

“But she never specifically asked to 'date'! She only asked 'out' which is something friends do too—I just—I really don't get _you guys_.”

 

“We guys?” Jean reclined.

 

“Alloromantics.” Eren rolled his eyes, stabbing the spaghetti he brought from home. “Why must everything be about romance? Can't people ask each other to have coffee and mean only that?”

 

“Well he's got a point there...” Connie affirmed. “Like secondary school was really weird with all the awkward jokes people made about me and Sash.”

 

“Yeah,” Sasha agreed slurping from her smoothie thoughtfully.

 

“It wasn't so bad...” Jean recalled but the other three snickered at his recollection.

 

“Yeah, longingly staring at Armin for hours in the library wasn't so bad for you probably.” Connie wiggled his eyebrows.

 

“Connie.” Both Jean and Eren interjected in tandem causing Sasha to laugh and choke on her smoothie a bit that Connie patted her back gently a few times.

 

“Their common denominator, isn't it cute?” Sasha whispered to Connie loud enough that everyone heard it crystal clear.

 

“Can we change the subject?” Eren pleaded after swallowing a meatball. It had been weeks since he last ate proper meat; halal red meat was so much more expensive than the rest and he couldn't normally afford it often. Thanks to the new summer job, his diet was improving though his cooking skills sucked, leading to a rather tasteless meal. _It's still nutritious at least..._

 

“How is your new work going Jean?” Connie asked first but then added with a suggestive voice; “How is working with Armin?”

 

Sasha high fived him and they both looked very smug, Eren chose to glance at the ceiling with frustration while Jean sighed miserably, by now used to their teasing.

 

“It's okay. City Council would probably be way more boring by just myself. Honestly half the work we do is buy them coffee or proofread reports...”

 

“I'd prefer that over industrial work...” Connie pouted.

 

“Well I wouldn't; it must be exhaustive to fake a smile all day...” Sasha wondered out loud and Connie beamed at her understandingly.

 

“You're right. Maybe it's not that better… Also my spelling is probably worse than theirs...”

 

She shook one shoulder and Connie mock-punched it before glancing at Eren.

 

“So? Why so quiet? Found a job yet? Or did you get that second shift at the burger place?”

 

Eren coughed on the last piece of spaghetti he was chewing—he was one to never waste any food on his plate even though he was already full and he had not expected that question at all. He downed half of his water bottle and tried to think of an answer meanwhile.

 

“No, that didn't work out.”

 

“Bummer. So you are out of luck?”

 

“Yeah all the places I applied for only wanted to pay in... 'good CV reference' points.”

 

He had not technically 'applied' for the donation work he was doing for Levi. It was more through a referral. _Right? Right. Not a lie._ _I am not lying, I am just omitting certain facts about my life and it is not like I have to share everything with everyone… God I'm horrible._

 

“You know,” Sasha said, trying to talk as politely as she could, “I could always lend you some if you are in a pinch.”

 

“Me too dude!” Connie jumped in.

 

Eren remembered how many times his friends had come to his aid in the last few years and smiled. Thankfully, he would not need it for this summer.

 

“Nah, it's okay. I started budgeting more tightly and it seems I'll be able to make it.”

 

“Really?” Jean sounded doubtful.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Fine then… I guess...” Jean scrutinised him for a moment which Eren chose to return instead of ignoring.

 

“Are you guys playing stare-down again? Please tell me you are not playing stare-down again.”

 

“Armin! My man!” Connie exclaimed. “We were just talking about you.”

 

“No we were not.” Jean miffed and while Eren shared the sentiment, he also found it to be the perfect opportunity to change the topic and break Jean's possibly suspicious thoughts.

 

“Jean was just talking about your internship in the City Council.”

 

“Ah,” Armin let out a long suffering sigh before taking the seat between Eren and Jean, removing his messenger bag to put on his lap.

 

“Wow, that bad?” Sasha frowned.

 

“Hey come on, you do get the coffee orders right all the time at least. I get barked at almost every day just because of that.”

 

“Yeah, which is why I get sent to them four and a half times more than every other intern including you Jean.”

 

“That's oddly specific.” Sasha musedand Connie followed; “I bet he actually calculated it.”

 

“I couldn't help!” Armin protested. “Ugh, I am so hungry... Patent laws are just unbearable in the summer heat.”

 

“Want me to get you something?” Jean offered casually but Connie destroyed his smooth manoeuvre with a soft snigger.

 

“You could? I'll pay you when I get the money from that last translation I did.”

 

“Nah, it's okay; is a tuna wrap good?”

 

“Yeah.” Armin smiled gratefully while Sasha and Connie were exchanging a knowing look; Jean flipped off the teasing duo once he was up and a few metres away from the table, behind Armin's back, on his way to the cafeteria counter.

 

“What are you doing in the campus?” Armin reclined on his seat and gave an inquisitive glance at Eren.

 

“Because I'm a student?”

 

“You're working on your thesis with Professor Zoe again?”

 

“No... I was just bored at home, so...”

 

“You know, I saw this ad on the front door of the Library of Engineering, they apparently have one open part-time position? I know they don't pay that well to student workers still...”

 

“It's okay.” Eren blurted it out while packing the empty container of his lunch away.

 

“You're not looking for a job anymore?” Armin queried, puzzled, “I know you've been down lately but I—”

 

“He apparently did some extra budgeting and he says he'll be fine.” Connie informed him and Eren tried to look as disinterested as possible while thinking of how he could just escape the Engineering Cafeteria they were chilling at.

 

“I thought you said you only had 2 dollars in your bank account?”

 

“Yeah turns out I didn't consider some of the payments I was waiting on...”

 

“Oh from the freelance stuff?”

 

“Yup,” Eren replied, grabbing one of the shoulder straps of his backpack. He was quite a bit fortunate because just as Armin was about to ask more, Jean arrived with a wrap and a bottle of lightly carbonated mineral water, Armin's favourite drink to go with any meal.

 

“Here you go.”

 

“Thanks a lot,” Armin smiled and the way Jean scratched his nape as he sat near Armin both endeared and irritated Eren.

 

“Well, I have a blog post to finish and a few other stuff to take care of—”

 

“Like scrubbing the bathroom. It's your turn.” Armin mentioned not so off-handedly and Eren sighed.

 

“Yes, like scrubbing the bathroom, so I'm out.”

 

“Take care buddy!” Connie waved a good-bye.

 

“And don't forget what I said alright?” Sasha added biting her lower lip.

 

“Thanks Sash; see ya Armin, see ya horseface.”

 

“Wow, very creative Eren, very creative.” Jean moaned to which Eren simply sneered as he took off, internally and eternally thankful that he was not pressed further by Armin who was sharper at reading him than anyone.

 

 

* * *

 

 

He ensured to check the time and confirm that it was indeed 10 pm before sending a text message to his snarky client.

 

**[to: levi]**

**hi levi. for the next session i was thinking maybe next tuesday at 5 pm again, would that be cool?**

 

Against his predictions though, a response did not come in the next five minutes. Perhaps Levi was taking a nap? After another five minutes of ogling the bright screen of his three years old smartphone, he shoved it under his pillow and grabbed his computer onto his lap, an eerie déjà vu creeping up him. The next two hours were spent on researching across journal databases, finding the exact citations he needed, and proofreading his final piece. It was ready for posting and he hoped his audience would enjoy it as much as he did writing; he was still going through the Tumblr formatting when his phone shook.

 

**[from: levi]**

**Tuesday is no good for me, I have work. Wednesday?**

 

**[to: levi]**

**i actually have a thing on wednesday. a friends bday and i haven't seen him in ages so.**

**thursday maybe?**

 

**[from: levi]**

**How is Friday?**

 

**[to: levi]**

**i have an afternoon shift on friday :( thursday is really the best for me...**

 

**[from: levi]**

**Thursday is alright then. At 8 pm.**

 

Eren considered the message a bit, surprised at the much later time of the day Levi suggested. It would cause a bit of drama at home for him, for sure, but he did have the early morning shift at the burger place that day and was not certain whether or not it would be appropriate for him to push Levi to reschedule even more, since technically Levi was his 'customer'.

 

**[to: levi]**

**yea it's fine with me 8 pm then**

 

He put the phone away and finished formatting the post, hitting the publish button with eyes closed, hoping for the best. He spent the next fifteen minutes refreshing his activity page many times to see who reblogged it. _Why do they keep liking it?! If you really liked it reblog it so that others can see too—_ _Argh,_ _I hate when they do that…_ _Is it too long to read? Did I ramble?_

 

He was too absorbed gauging the reception of his newest creation that he did not realise the vibration of his phone. Only after he gave up on live-watching the rather uncertain fate of his budding intellectual career and lay on his back on the bed did he glance at his phone and saw the blue light blinking. He grabbed it and found a text from Levi from minutes ago.

 

**[from: levi]**

**Don't forget to use protection.**

 

Eren closed his eyes, counted to three, opened his eyes and read the message once more. It was not a hallucination. He wasn't sure which part annoyed him more; the fact that Levi assumed he was sexually active and or interested, as though every young adult had to be? Or was it the 'mother hen'ing that he was already too irritable about thanks to Mikasa's protective streak? Amidst the ire, he also found it ridiculous and somehow amusing that he was getting safe sex advice from his vampire client.

 

**[to: levi]**

**i won't be having sex there. not that it is any of ur business yk**

 

He received a response much faster than he expected.

 

**[from: levi]**

**I don't care about your sex life asshat. I will be the one drinking your blood just the next day though so I need to ensure there are no STDs or any other nasty shit.**

 

_Oh... that makes sense. Wait. It doesn't make sense. He's a vampire._

 

**[to: levi]**

**but u r a vampire??**

 

**[from: levi]**

**No shit, who would guess I am a vampire when I'm literally paying you to suck your blood.**

 

Eren grimaced at Levi's much unnecessary strong tone. _Jerkface._

 

**[to: levi]**

**i mean u won't get sick or anything even if i had stds not that i will have them cos i don't have sex anyway. i just don't do sex.**

 

His thumb hovered over the 'send' icon for a second and then instead of tapping it, he quickly edited his message:

 

**[to: levi]**

**i meant you won't get sick or harmed or anything even if i had stds** **cos u r a vampire**

 

He hit the 'send' this time. _It's not like I have to explain my sexuality to him just because he is my client._

 

**[from: levi]**

**The fact that I won't get 'sick' doesn't mean I won't be infected. I will still be infected, it will just go away fast. Also: your blood will taste like shit with all the microbes and increased WBC.**

 

_That... that actually makes sense._

 

**[to: levi]**

**k well makes sense n u got nothing to worry k?**

 

**[from: levi]**

**Good. See you Thursday.**

 

**[to: levi]**

**k**

 

He was about to put away his phone when it occurred to him.

 

**[to: levi]**

**hey wait could i bring some treats for daffodil?**

 

**[from: levi]**

**It won't make her like you.**

 

**[to: levi]**

**will u let me or not?**

 

**[from: levi]**

**Do whatever you want but she is above bribery.**

 

_Ugh. Why must he be such an ass._

 

Eren glared at his phone before tossing it onto the other side of the bed and burying his face onto his pillow. He hoped Daffodil would like his meagre gift unlike her prickly owner's predictions.

 


	5. Chapter 5

  


Eren had despised 'parties' since the onset of adolescence; slowly gone were the delicious cakes and video game fests and instead came the cheap beer, loud music, and impromptu make outs with strangers. He did not drink for both personal and religious reasons, and he was adamant that even if he did he would go for proper red wine only and not waste his time with beer. He had never desired to make out with anyone, stranger or not. Loud music, he did not mind much, but it did get to him after a couple of hours, viciously triggering his migraine. Not drinking meant he was always the designated driver and thus had to be the sober one dealing with a bunch of drunks. Connie was a kisser and Jean puked a lot; the only one tolerable were Armin and Mikasa because Armin kept giggling and Mikasa simply fell asleep. Hence, he skipped parties more often than not.

  


He would not miss Marco's birthday though. 

  


Even though they attended different universities, far away from each other, they were still good friends. Marco had chosen to study agricultural engineering in another city and spent most of his year in a rural campus, staying at the school dorms there. In honesty, he was an average guy; looked average, liked mainstream things, came from a middle class family that was neither rich nor poor, was neither too interested or disinterested in politics—most would think he would not be popular, but it was the opposite. Everyone liked him because there was nothing not to like about him. He rarely voiced strong opinions and rarely got too involved with things or people that he gave no opportunity for anyone to feel hate towards him. Everyone had a different but always positive image of him and he never corrected them about the bits that were not very accurate. The fact that Eren got along fine with him despite him being Jean's best friend said a lot about Marco's likeability. There was another reason Eren liked Marco more than most others though; Marco understood very well that he could not always empathise but he always sympathised. In those few times when he actually gave advice, he had never hid anything and been gracefully straightforward. These, Eren valued a lot. 

  


As a result he was not unwillingly dragged to the party this time and instead gladly drove his friends, whistling and upbeat. His mood improved even more when he saw the big chocolate cake that Sasha had brought with her. The best moment of the night was though when Marco opened Eren's present; he had not been able to give anything cool to any of his friends for over a year due to being constantly bankrupt. Now that he had the extra money, he could afford gifting something he actually wanted to give and knew Marco would like; indeed those brown eyes almost twinkled at the sight of the Steven Universe t-shirt, Sasha 'aw'ing and Connie screaming “that's so cool”. Even the soft snigger of “lame” that Jean uttered couldn't manage souring the moment. It was rather hilarious, however, watch Jean try and make a U-turn after Armin mentioned that he loved the show himself and that “heather red definitely looks nice on Marco”. 

  


Late into the night with a glass of ice tea in his hand, he watched Mikasa sleepily listen to a story told by Connie and Sasha in turns, the volume of the music turned low, the beats of chillstep only gently echoing across the flat Marco shared with Jean during the summers. The last couple who had been eating each other's faces had disappeared into one of the bedrooms and while this would normally make Jean rather fussy—he had become rather strict about it after that one time he had found questionable remains on his own bedsheets—he was currently busy trying to make Armin laugh at his silly jokes, which Armin did but mostly because he was tipsy. Eren couldn't even muster enough annoyance at Jean's awkward flirting, much surprisingly; contentment had seeped deep into his bones. He glanced at Marco playing Love Live! on his phone on the other side of the room, wearing Eren's present. Pink indeed suited his tan skin and flattered his freckles.

  


Eren sipped from his drink and lazily grinned.  _Money can't buy happiness, my ass._

  


* * *

  


He patted his pocket for the sixth time as he walked into Levi's lavish front yard; he had tucked in the envelope with the cheque for the first session and would try  giving it back to Levi . The sun was near the horizon as time ticked forward, leaving only another thirty minutes or so before the darkness would fall.  Scattered bits of clouds lighted in warm hues were soothingly beautiful  and the street was as serene as ever. He knocked on the door.

  


Unlike the times before, it actually took some time for Levi to open the door. He seemed tired but not unhappy.

  


“Come in.” 

  


“Hi. How are you?”

  


“Okay. You?”

  


“I'm fine.” Eren made small tslk as he made his way to the living room, this time Levi followed behind him and he could swear he felt Levi's eyes boring into his back. He glanced around as he stepped towards the sofa but Daffodil was nowhere to be found.

  


“Daffodil is not here again?”

  


“Your plan will fail.”

  


“You _don't know_ that.”

  


“She's playing in the backyard.”

  


“You have a backyard too?!”

  


“Of course I have a backyard too.”

  


“What is that 'of course' supposed to mean? Not everyone lives in this kind of a house you know.” Eren leaned backwards, crossing his arms across his chest, not hiding his judgemental gaze in the least. Levi stared at him for a moment too long before quietly agreeing:

  


“Right.”

  


Oddly, Levi's concurring made Eren feel exposed.  “Anyway,”  he squirmed in his spot to get the envelope out of his pocket.

  


“I wanted to give this back to you.”

  


“You don't want to be paid for your services?”

  


“I do want to be paid for my services but I didn't really provide anything the first time around.”

  


Levi sighed and considered him,  tight-lipped and thoughtful .

  


“You spent your time and effort still. You do deserve it.”

  


“I don't need—”

  


“It is not charity if that's what you're going to say. I am not a very charitable person anyway.”

  


When Eren didn't reply but didn't take his eyes off him either, Levi shifted his weight from one foot to another.

  


“Look,” he started, clearly uncomfortable with the topic, “this is a job and it comes with specific hazards, one of which is anxiety. You were affected and couldn't perform. Shit happens. It doesn't mean you don't deserve a pay. I'm not taking anything back, okay?”

  


The argument made sense, still he  was unsure on what to do but a sudden ring echoed across the house disrupting Eren's thought process and causing Levi to close his eyes like a man facing inevitable death. Soon someone started pounding the door and Eren couldn't help peeking through the embroidered sheer curtains towards the entryway in front of the house. He could see two figures, one of whom, shorter, seemed to be the one excitedly knocking  or perhaps trying to collapse the door .

  


“Just put that back into your pocket and...” Levi scratched his head, taking a moment to think, “...and be nice.”

  


“ _Be nice_? I'm not your pet or kid you know!” Eren shouted but Levi had already disappeared into the foyer. 

  


In a matter of seconds the silence of the house was shattered with a high-pitched and youthful voice; a loud “sorry!” chimed first and then came energetic footsteps. 

  


“Oh.” 

  


A young woman with crimson hair and two pigtails stood at the entrance of the living room and stared blankly at Eren.

  


“Hi?” Eren tried and received a giddy “ _Hellooo there_!” with a toothy grin.

  


She quickly paced the short distance between them and stood before him, arms behind her back, head cocked.  The unabashed interest frankly confused Eren.

  


“So this is why you wanted us to get out so early?” A silvery voice was heard and Eren glanced to find someone else walking in side by side with Levi. While the young lady was around the same height as Levi, this person was taller and had blond hair. 

  


“For fuck's sake, you yourself said it would be better to leave early.”

  


“For tonight's class,” the man stood near the woman and joined in scrutinising Eren, “which you knew of in advance.”

  


“Oh,” she raised one of her hands then, finger wagging in the air while she peered at the man, “is this why you were saying it is strange that he served tea so early?” 

  


“Yep,” the blond replied, “I guess we now know why.”

  


Eren turned to Levi, not trying too hard to keep his discontent hidden; “What's going on?”

  


“That I would like to know too...” Levi muttered as he moved to sit on the armchair next to the sofa. 

  


“Isabel, Farlan—this is Eren, my new donor.”

  


“I knew it!” the girl whom Eren believed to be the 'Isabel' chirped then; “I knew he was the donor!”

  


“Yes,” Eren replied with a serious tone, not ashamed of his job or position, “I am the donor and you are?” He was rather frustrated that Levi had not properly explained his relation to these people. 

  


“Hmm...” Farlan smirked, “I like this one, Levi.”

  


“Okay that is just rude.” Eren spat and while Levi had seemed to ignore the bickering he did glare at Farlan.

  


“Sorry,” Farlan stepped in closer and offered a hand, “I didn't mean anything bad with it. Farlan Church, by the way.”

  


_There is something dangerous about this man._

  


He seemed cunning—this Eren could recognise after being around Armin 'the Chessmaster' Arlert for so long; looks could be deceiving and his gut told him to be careful.  _Could he be a vampire too?_

  


“Isabel Magnolia here! Nice to meet you.” Isabel scooted close and waved a little hi.

  


“It's okay,” Eren chose to avoid any further confrontation and took Farlan's hand, noting how cool his skin felt.

  


_Yep, definitely a vampire._

  


“I thought you said you came back because you forgot your umbrella.” 

  


All eyes turned to Levi whose own were narrow and accusing against Isabel's.

  


“Ah yeah,” Isabel scratched her head and giggled nervously, “now where could it be...”

  


“I think in the hallway actually.” Farlan answered, smiling innocently but Eren wasn't too keen to trust to that smile.

  


“And why are you two still here if that's the case?” 

  


While  Levi' s words were harsh, his tone was almost bored and he seemed very comfortable; even more at ease in presence of these people than with Hanji.  Who could they be, Eren had no idea but was curious about.

  


_Are they in a polyamorous relationship? There's that thing about it being more common in some vampire cultures but could it be..._

  


“Come on big bro, don't be a grump.” Isabel pouted.

  


“Oh! You're family?!”

  


He did not see but heard Levi's deep sigh. Farlan chuckled. He had not meant to blurt it out but it had surprised him.

  


“Something like that.”

  


“We are closer than family.” Isabel winked.

  


“We are friends.” Levi clarified but when he received two very injured gazes he cleared his throat and corrected; “very close friends… kind of a family I guess.”

  


“I see...” Eren tried; even if he did not know the details of their relationship, he could relate to the kind of bonding where one would form a family through choice than blood. It was what he felt towards Mikasa and Armin too, more or less; even semi-seriously calling Mikasa a 'sister' back when they had been younger.

  


“Now that you've seen him, can you please get out?”

  


“Oh please, we had only come to get our umbrella Levi.” Farlan chuckled again, looking fondly at Levi. Eren had not seen anyone look at Levi like that before and it came as both strange and cute.

  


“Sure.” Levi intoned.

  


“In any case, we should indeed hurry or else we'll miss the class,” Farlan wrapped his arm around Isabel's and pulled her.

  


“Uh, we could just postpone today's--” 

  


Now a few steps away, Farlan whispered something into Isabel's ear which made her whine; Eren couldn't tell what it was at all and he was sure Levi couldn't hear it either, but the way Levi's face changed so slightly even though his eyes were focused on the door instead of his friends hinted that he knew what words were being exchanged, somehow. Perhaps not the exact sentences but the information, for sure.

  


Isabel dropped her head down and frowned but Farlan pulled her closer to himself.

  


_Are they lovers? Or are they just really close in platonic terms? She is_ _really_ _young and plus if he is a vampire… a lot of power dynamics there. How does Levi feel about that… Well it is not really my business but..._

  


“It was nice meeting you Eren!” He nudged Isabel who turned to Eren and gave a frustrated smile of sorts too. “We'll get out of your hair now, see you around.”

  


“See you...?” Eren answered, _I guess?_ _Wait—why are we seeing each other again? They really didn't come for umbrella, did they..._

  


Levi did not move to see them out and in about fifteen seconds of hushing and tumbling came the click of the  front  door shut.

  


“Good.” Levi announced. “We can start now.”

  


“You're really not going to explain what any of that was?” 

  


“I don't think I have to.”

  


As much as curiosity rose inside him, he let it go; Levi was right, being his donor did not mean a pass into his relationships and friends and so on. “ Fine.  We can start  I guess.. .”

  


Levi did not say anything else as he got up to sit next to Eren, who automatically turned his head the other way to provide  his client some privacy. 

  


All through the last two weeks he had never thought how it would feel again to be bitten. Perhaps, some part of his subconsciousness was convinced that since he had done it once successfully, the anxiety of the whole affair had ceased forever. The instant Levi grasped his arm though, his heartrate leaped forth and he realised how foolish that conclusion had been. The  recognition that a pair of fangs would soon sink deep into him and draw blood unnerved him once again,  his  breathing jumping as if to mimic his heart's capricious drumming. He felt a thumb tenderly press and caress the soft patch of skin on the inside of the angle of his elbow; at first the subtle motion was almost random but soon the circles drawn paralleled his exhales,  a soothing rhythm reverberating across his limb .

  


“Calm down.” 

  


He held Eren's wrist with his  free hand, the thumb copying the same gentle movement there...  Eren's arm rested on Levi's palms  like a fragile piece of art under investigation; he could feel the callouses on the hands touching him  and  wondered what kind of work  c ould have  caused  it . H e surmised that it couldn't be from yoga, though certain sports did  induced such things and he didn't know much about yoga. He was curious if Levi had done any blue-collar work in the past, perhaps, considering his comments about being too poor to go to a restaurant; could he have worked as a child or teenager?  It would not be surprising, on a second thought;  the capital had the highest income gap in the country, destitute masses working day and night in heavy labour only to earn enough to feed themselves while the 1% swam in rooftop pools of the high-rise residents in the Downtown.

  


The wetness covered the bare skin of the crook of his arm and  he  braced himself for what was to come; it came too, without delay, the  pain spiked as his vein was punctured. When he felt Levi squeeze his wrist, he let go of the breath he hadn't realised he was holding  and  subconsciously closed his eyes.

  


His right hand kept curling and uncurling on the ornamented arm of the sofa; he was more aware this time and couldn't help the tiny gasps he let out every time Levi sucked in stronger. To pass the time, he tried to count but his mind kept straying to that small part of his flesh being thoroughly used by Levi. He pondered about how it would feel to be the one doing the sucking; he had never mouthed another person in any way; was it similar to  such an act or  was it more akin to eating? The way he would bite into the red meat of watermelon, slurping the delicious juice—was it more like that? His attention kept swaying back and forth between Levi's teeth and his own heartbeat;  the two edges of his existence and he kept teetering .

  


Then a final lap of the tongue and it ended. They both let out a sigh of relief.

  


Eren slumped in his spot whereas Levi got up and went towards the hallway, likely to brush his teeth. Eren closed his eyes as the lethargy draped over him;  coloured lights invading his vision under the darkness of the eyelids, something cool and numb swallowing his limbs .

  


“You okay?”

  


He lifted his head and cracked his eyes, vision bleary but he could see Levi looking at him from his place near the kitchen door.

  


“Ah, yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit tired. And dizzy.”

  


“I'll get you something to eat.”

  


“You don't have to feed me always you know?”

  


Instead of an actual response Levi simply shook his head and entered the kitchen.  Levi's cooking was too delicious to not be opportunistic about so Eren chose not to press further and be thankful for the feast he would be served with .  Blinking rapidly to dispel the sleepiness, he sat up straighter and looked around  for Daffodil,  hoping she had come  back  but  that did not seem to be the case . 

  


_Is_ _s_ _he still playing in the backyard?_

  


“Levi...” he yelled towards the kitchen, both too lazy to get up and also not in the mood to deal with his fussy client who would flip over him walking around right after the feeding.

  


“What?” 

  


“Is Daffodil still in the garden?”

  


“No, she's with me.”

  


“Ah, she's in the kitchen?”

  


“Just sit where you are.”

  


“I'm not a kid,” Eren moved to stand up, rather wobbly so, gracious that Levi wasn't around to witness that, “I can walk to the kitchen at least...”

  


_And show you how she falls in love with me. You just wait._

  


He took his time padding to the kitchen, making each step careful as a slight  haze  twirled inside his head.  Once he reached the door,  he held onto it like an old man and scanned the kitchen; Levi was deliberately not paying any attention to him, his back facing Eren as he warmed something on the stove. Daffodil,  on the other hand, was busy sweetly snuggling around her owner's legs, rubbing her face over his ankles and calves. 

  


_Oh God she is so cute. Mashallah, mashallah._

  


“Hey there sweetheart...” Eren tried to woo however Daffodil did not even spare a glance, still occupied with the very important task of lovingly marking her father. Eren didn't let this blatant dismissal get to him though; he dug into the big pocket on the side of his baggy knee-length shorts, taking out the small ziploc plastic bag with the treats. He squatted on the wooden floor and took a few pieces in his hand and called for her again.

  


“Daffodil? Look what I got here for you.”

  


Daffodil only gave him a side-eye before lying down near Levi's right foot, fully relaxed and  pretending Eren did not exist .

  


Levi snorted.

  


“Okay, why is she not even interested?” Eren mumbled, moving towards her steadily and slowly so as not to spook her. “C'mon baby? Yummy-yummy.”

  


“She won't eat it unless it's in her food bowl.”

  


“What? Why not?”

  


Levi shrugged, turning the knob of his stove to shut off the heat and stepping to the other side to get a plate from his cabinet. Daffodil followed his  movement with her eyes from where she lay on her side  as though she was the one keeping watch on her human pet .

  


“You can't be serious. Are you telling me your cat has like… what… table manners to uphold?”

  


“She is very particular.” Levi nodded to himself thoughtfully as he continued preparing the meal; Eren couldn't see what it was exactly but he could smell the delicious scent of cloves and coriander. 

  


“Okay. Fine. I'll play along. Where is her bowl?”

  


“Next to the nook on the other side, near the garden door.”

  


Eren groaned as he stood up and went to grab the bowl; once he had got it in his hands, he couldn't help gawking.

  


“Wow. This is… very… uh… fancy.”

  


“It's just a food bowl.”

  


“Levi… it's pink and has shiny stars and hearts and crowns…”

  


Levi scoffed, pouring water into a glass half filled with ice.

  


“What were you expecting it to look like?”

  


“I don't know… Plain red? Maybe some little fish doodles on it?”

  


“Fish?” Levi emphasised, a small scowl on his lips as though Eren had dishonoured him. “Just get on with it. Your own food is ready.”

  


“Uh thanks, okay, so,” he dropped his offering into the bowl and took it to Daffodil, gingerly placing what he hoped to be a tasty bribe in front of her. Ignoring Eren's shenanigans, Levi took the plate he had filled with food as well as two glasses of water to the table of the nook.

  


“Look what I got here for you princess,” Eren tried and this time Daffodil did stare at him... and then the bowl. She dallied forward and sniffed the treats, inspecting them carefully with her paw before nibbling. A tiny miracle occurred then and just as he had prayed, she accepted his little gift and started devouring it.

  


“Yes!” Eren whispered enthusiastically, barely keeping it together from not breaking into a dance. “I knew I could make her like me!”

  


“Just because she's eating it doesn't mean she likes you,” Levi promptly killed his joy, receiving a well-deserved glare in return. 

  


_Prick, raining on my parade. She will like me though. You just wait and see._ _A_ _nimals love those who feed them._

  


“Will you stop dawdling and come eat your own meal before it gets cold as satan's balls?”

  


“Wow that surely whets my appetite.”

  


Daffodil gobbled up her gift much quicker than Eren anticipated and Eren thought this was the perfect chance to try get more familiar with her; she was  checking the bowl  for more  when he gently moved  his  fingers  towards her which caught her interest and she started ogling  him instead .  The literal hand of friendship just hovered in the air though, Daffodil not moving even a centimetre, and after a few seconds of awkward stare off Eren  was about to take his hand back in defeat when she  finally brought her head closer.  S uddenly elated and hardly containing the thrill, he tried his best to stay still, waiting for that magical moment where she would sniff his fingers to happen. Even though he was a pro at getting along with all sorts of animals, cats included, the prospect of being friended by Daffodil excited him a lot.  It was as though he was about to be chosen by a goddess, proclaimed 'special'.

  


The soft touch of nose or the whiffing he expected never came though; instead came an unforeseen attack of teeth. 

  


“Ouch! Fuck. No. Daffodil, why?”

  


Amidst his pain he heard Levi titter.

  


“Ugh...”

  


“Go clean your hand and then come eat your food. It is getting late.”

  


“Fine.” He barked, frustrated with the unrequited yearning for Daffodil's affection. He gave one last hurt look to Daffodil who did not seem to care at all and was already on her way towards Levi, infuriating Eren and breaking his heart even more.

  


He stood up and made his way out to the bathroom, sulking all the way, and wondering what he would have to do to win Daffodil's heart. 

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always many thanks to my dearest [crisscrosscutout](http://crisscrosscutout.tumblr.com), who is the greatest support behind this fic! Their cat Bismarck (also known as the most affectionate and cutely quirky cat in existence) was the inspiration for the bit about the food bowl. :3


	6. Chapter 6

  


“You're eating… spinach again?”

  


Eren chewed harder on the raw green leaves in his mouth and kept his eyes locked on the glowing screen of his laptop, not sparing a look at Mikasa as she entered the kitchen.

  


“Yeah. It's really healthy.”

  


“I know. I just didn't know you were a fan.”

  


“I don't have to be a fan of it to eat it. I'm an adult you know.”

  


“Oh _that,_ I forget sometimes.” 

  


“Eren actually cooked? I guess miracles do happen.” Armin padded into the living room brushing his hair which had gotten relatively long over the spring. 

  


“ _Ha ha ha_. I can cook you know.”

  


“He just made a salad.”

  


“Salads are important. Also, it is a good salad okay. It has like… feta cheese and walnuts in it. And some olive oil. It is a very well-established and fulfilling salad.”

  


“Wow. Such a complex recipe.” Mikasa deadpanned as she removed a plate from the dish rack. She talked just loud enough for Eren to hear from the dining table a couple of steps away in the living room.

  


“Walnuts?” Armin furrowed his eyebrows. “Where did you find walnuts?”

  


“I bought them?”

  


“They are rather expensive…?”

  


“Come on Armin,” Eren deliberately held his voice level, controlling his pitch, “just like got a handful. For salads and stuff.”

  


“Huh well I guess even you could afford that...”

  


“And you bought meat again too? Someone is rather indulgent these days.” Mikasa chimed in from the kitchen, likely rummaging through the fridge.

  


“They were on sale!” _They really were. Only 99 cents cheaper but they were on sale._

  


“Well, I'll be stealing two of your halal chicken sausages then.”

  


“Knock yourself out.”

  


“You want anything to eat for breakfast too Armin? I'll make an omelette with some spinach and sausages? Courtesy of the generosity of one Eren Jaeger.”

  


Eren snorted while Armin giggled at her remark.

  


“I'll pass, Jean should be here about any minute now.”

  


“On a weekend?”

  


“City Council has this brunch event where they want us to do some greeting and organisation work.”

  


“You're joking right?” Eren whined in Armin's stead.

  


“Nope.”

  


“God… those assholes—”

  


“Will you guys be paid?” Mikasa interjected despite her eyes being carefully on the chopping board as she cut the sausages into tiny disks.

  


“Yeah. That's the silver lining I guess. I could use some extra cash. Plus Jean wants to go for an 'afternoon tea' afterwards. He was shocked when I said I've never really been to a tea room.”

 

“Only he would be shocked at that…” Eren groused under his breath and crushed a piece of walnut angrily between his teeth.

  


“Hmm… that sounds like an interesting date.”

  


“It is not a date Mikasa,” Armin corrected with a smile.

  


“You do know that he has a crush on you right? A big, disgustingly obvious crush?”

  


Eren groaned but when Armin cast him a side-eye,  he chose to silently scowl at his screen instead. The soundless cacophony of his twitter feed stared back at him  but made no sense as his mind was still entangled in his best friend's love life .

  


“I thought he had a crush on you too once.”

  


“When we were in _pr_ _imary school_.”

  


“Fair enough.” Armin sighed and straightened the collar of his dress shirt, putting one hand on the edge of the dining table and leaning a little, facing towards the kitchen. “I just know that he is easily influenced and you know how I am with relationships. But I've been thinking...”

  


Eren's eyes shot back to Armin and the noise of Mikasa's chopping stopped.

  


“Can we stop staring at me? You guys are freaking me out.”

  


“You've been _thinking_?” Mikasa repeated, stepping into threshold of the kitchen to scrutinise Armin's face for truth, while Eren  instantly complained, “You can't be serious!”

  


“Yes, I've been thinking and yes, I'm serious.”

  


“Well this is good news.”

  


“No it's not Mikasa, no it's not. How can it be good news?! I can't believe you would go for him Armin...” Eren closed the lid of his laptop with more power than necessary.

  


“You are exaggerating again. You don't even dislike him to that degree and we both know that.”

  


“It's not about him as a person.”

  


“What is it about then?”

  


“Do you even know how his family will react?”

  


“He has been out to them for two years by now?” Mikasa answered before Armin.

  


“I'm not talking about that. I am talking about _the class_.”

  


“God…” Armin sighed, “everything is about the class with you, isn't it?”

  


“But everything is about class. You know he is their only son. You know how pretentious they are. You know he's a mama's boy. There is a reason he started Economics minor suddenly in his second year. He can't say no to them. He can't say no to his father. Would they be okay with their son dating someone beneath their social group?!”

  


“You've never even met his parents. I've never met his parents. We know nothing apart from glimpses at the school gates during secondary school and whatever Jean told us. In any case, we are neither fourteen nor are we getting married, so I don't think I have to worry about his parents.”

  


“ _Yet_.  You will have to worry about it eventually. You can't put it off forever.”

  


“Eren, I think you are underestimating Jean.”

  


Mikasa's statement surprised both Armin and Eren.

  


“I...” Eren drawled, his frustration loosening under Mikasa's hard gaze and being replaced with uncertainty. He had witnessed Jean correcting his ways and generally trying to be a decent human on more than one occasion during the many years they've known each other and as much as they bickered and held conflicting opinions, he has not thought of Jean as a bad person for a long time now. Even if he didn't want to admit, he had also realised several times how Jean and Armin balanced each other; Armin could be too clinically rational at times whereas Jean could be surprisingly sensitive. All this complexity was tough to vocalise, especially when he was both put on the spot and was unwilling to confess. Most importantly though, he cared for his friend and the way Armin was looking at him faded any sour words he could muster out of spite.

  


“Whatever.” He opted for, much eloquently.

  


Mikasa rolled her eyes and moved back to the kitchen. Soon the sound of c utting started again.

  


“However you go at it, good luck. And just, don't keep us too much out of the loop, okay? We worry.”

  


“I know mum.” Armin teased as he checked his skinny navy blue tie on the mirror on the wall facing the dining table and next to the kitchen. It was straight enough in Eren's opinion and suited well to Armin's eye-colour. It was not randomly chosen.

  


“Okay, for the record, I hate you two and everyone else for making that joke because being protective and caring is a good quality.” Mikasa replied with a calm tone as she stirred the mixture of eggs, chopped sausages, and baby spinach leaves in a bowl.

  


“Aw,” Armin intoned skipping into the small kitchen through its door-less frame, only to sneak behind Mikasa. Standing on his toes behind her, he left a kiss on her right cheek, which she jokingly fought off with an elbow to his side.

  


Beethoven's 5 th Symphony  suddenly started, gathering all their attention, and Armin slipped his hand into his trousers' pocket to refuse the call. 

  


“That must be Jean! Have a nice day guys.” 

  


“Sure, you too.” Mikasa gave a small smile and Eren waved a quiet bye. As soon as the apartment's door shut, Mikasa yelled for him; “Stop thinking about it.”

  


“Stop thinking about what?”

  


“About Jean of course.”

  


_How is she even able to do that… And she was the one who brought it up in a way._

  


“I'm just concerned.”

  


“You and me both but you hate when we coddle you so you should know to keep your distance.”

  


“I never thought I'd hear that from you...” Eren decided to distract himself by checking his phone for notifications which was successful because he had received a message from Levi some time early in the morning.

  


“I'm trying to better myself and I just don't want you to do the same mistakes because I know you have a similar streak too… It just shows in different ways.”

  


“Hmm...” Eren hummed, mind now too busy being bemused at Levi's message:

  


**[from: levi]**

**Don't forget the blood test. We won't hold the next session until you do the blood test.**

  


**[from: levi]**

**If the doctor refuses to give you a blood test referral, you can tell him you have been feeling** **antsy** **,** **always** **fatigued, and lost a fuckton of weight out of nowhere.** **A lot of palpitations like your heart is just crazy** **.** **And then if he asks** **whether** **there are thyroid problems in your family, say you recall something about** **Graves** **something something.**

  


“Um… Mikasa?”

  


“I'm not trying to make you feel—”

  


“No, not about that. I'll—I'll think about that okay. Can I ask you a medical question?”

  


“Yes, you can?”

  


“What is Graves.. something something?”

  


There was a clatter of spatula and porcelain and Mikasa didn't answer the question until she actually stepped into the living room with a plate of omelette in one hand and a fork in the other. She took a seat at the dining table, facing Eren;

  


“Did you start writing fan fiction again?”

  


“Huh? No?”

  


“Why are you asking me about Flajani-Basedow-Graves disease then?”

  


_Of course she'd be suspicious. This is Mikasa and I just asked her a disease. Go me._

  


“It's a friend… who is writing fan fiction… asking.”

  


“Look I don't judge whether or not you write fan fiction. Sure, I don't get why you are interested in omegaverse of all things, but the only problem I have is that you get too absorbed in it and start to not properly—”

  


“I am not lying! For God's sake. I'd tell you if I was writing fan fiction. This is really a friend asking.”

  


“Fine. Okay. It is an auto-immune disorder that causes hyperthyroidism.”

  


“Oh. Alright.” _That's like advanced calculus to me. What does 'hyp_ _er_ _thyroidism' mean anyway?!_ “Anything else?”

  


“I don't know? Why is your friend interested in it?”

  


“I'm not sure. They just said it's for a character.”

  


“Hmm… well,” Mikasa finally started eating her late-breakfast with gusto, speaking with a thoughtful voice only after swallowing each bite, “it is much more common in women; about 7 times more likely. But of course it can be seen in others too, especially if their family has a history of it. Or if you have other autoimmune disorders; like type 1 diabetes? Pregnancy increases the risk too. Usually seen in younger people; under 40.”

  


“What are its symptoms?”

  


“Tiredness? Anxiety. Weight loss… Changes in menstrual cycle. Reduced libido. Rapid heartbeat.All the usual hyperthyroidism symptoms, plus some people show Graves' ophthalmopathy: bulging eyes. It's really painful and can lead to vision loss. That last one is a minority of patients though.”

  


“I see.”

  


“Does your friend have any specific questions?”

  


“They are asking what should one do if they show symptoms? Um, without the bulging eyes? Just fatigue and stuff.”

  


“Well go to any doctor, they'll likely do a physical check with their hands to see if your thyroid has enlarged; though that may disappear over time. They'd ask for a blood test, a regular one plus TSH and T4. That would prove or disprove whether or not there's hyperthyroidism. Once that's determined, it's up to the doctor to decide the next step.”

  


“Oh… hmm...”

  


“That's all?”

  


“Yeah, yeah; they are saying thanks by the way.”

  


“No problem. This should be easy to google though.”

  


“Well not everybody understands the medical lingo.” Eren fussed as he typed an answer to Levi. Truthfully, he didn't think he would have to lie and pretend to have an illness he didn't have just to get a blood test. He was also curious how Levi knew exactly what to say to the doctor to insinuate the presence of such a condition. _Do all vampires get a course on human physiology or something?_ He smirked at his own joke but then recalling their peculiar relationship, it didn't sound so out of touch to think vampires paid special attention to human health, just as humans paid special attention to  the well-being of their cattle. As soon as he thought of this, however, he felt queasy about it, comparing human to cattle. Though more than a few of the militant vegans he met in various protests would have cheered at the said comparison, he liked to think of humans as a different kind of animal.

  


**[to: levi]**

**k i will get it done this week or next.**

  


He decided he would try the walk-in clinic on the other side of the downtown instead of the clinic in the campus, in case he'd come across the same doctor from before.

  


“So what are your plans today?”

  


“Just laze around the house till my shift?”

  


“Sounds like a good plan.” Mikasa ate the final piece of her meal, ensuring her plate was clean of any food.

  


“You should try it some time Doctor...” Eren mused, causing Mikasa to lightly chuckle, which immediately lifted his mood too, like always.

  


“If only I could...” She murmured, shifting to get up and take her plate to the kitchen.

  


“Well, I walk the neighbour's dogs tonight before I go for my shift, at like 8 pm? Wanna tag along if you're gonna be around?” Eren shouted slightly so that she could hear, not that it was too necessary given how thin their walls were. It had been such a nightmare when that couple who were both screamers lived next door; moaning and crying all night long, keeping Eren awake or making him wake up in the middle of the night. 

  


“Sure. I should be home by 6 pm.”

  


“It's a date!” Eren winked, drawing Mikasa's soft laughter; it was sweeter to him than any song.

  


* * *

 

  


The realisation sank like a brick in water, hitting him hard and blunt  when the person at the reception asked for the reason of his visit. Those in donation work got blood tests done quite frequently for various reasons, the most significant being anaemia. 

  


_ Anaemia. _

  


The cursed word. Unmistakably, it attracted a lot of attention and brought forth a series of intrusive questions.  He opened his mouth and then closed it; rarely, had he ever shied away from uttering the truth.  Yet he knew that if he was to expose  the truth , if he was to inform this person that he was a donor, his file would probably have an extra stamp, the record could even be transferred to other clinics as a 'public health safety measure'.  T he things his previous doctor had said,  the slur he had so freely uttered all came back to Eren, tensing his shoulders and arms . He looked at the face of the  receptionist who  star ed back at him all puzzled.  He  tried to imagine how th is person would look at him if he  told the real reason why he was there .  It wasn't that he had not known  the various forms of discrimination donors faced; society shamed this particular work, everything from the people's perspective of him to the future employment opportunities would be poisoned.  He had known that—but known it so professionally, from scholarly articles and op-eds, had never thought of it in terms of his own life.  Just how much he had changed his  future had not yet fully dawned on him until that moment.  Under the tremendous pressure,  frozen in his spot,  he could come back to his senses only after a second “sir?” uttered by the receptionist.

  


“I've been feeling fatigued… and some other stuff.” 

  


The words hung on his mind like dead weights  as he was asked to wait in the lobby .  It 'd take long.

  


A nervous smile crept to his face the moment he entered the doctor's room after a full hour of waiting; an irrational thought kept popping up in his mind, terrifying him that somehow the person at the reception or his physician knew the 'truth'. That was not the case and could not be though; his doctor did not even pay much attention to his expression or gestures, eyes mostly stuck to the screen of an electronic tablet. A couple of questions back and forth, all answered mechanically based on the things he heard from Mikasa. He was out of the room in a matter of ten or eleven minutes and the only part he vaguely remembered of the conversation was “well  Graves' is usually seen in women but let's get you checked regardless, since your family has a history”. 

  


He clenched on the single sheet in his hand as he walked out of the building in slow and heavy steps. It was almost the same as the one he had gotten weeks prior when he received a referral for a routine blood test from the university's medical centre. In fact, the only difference were the two more additional ticks to test for some hormones. Yet he had eyed the paper several times with the unfounded fear that it would have a marking somewhere to indicate his secret job. After such  mental  wrestling that left him nervous and brought all sorts of questions to surface, he folded the paper twice and  pocketed it roughly . It was unsettling how such a light object felt so massive a burden; he was aware of its existence  too much and never fully able to focus on anything else on the way home, a bus ride of twenty-three minutes spent in rumination. 

  


As soon as he arrived home, which was fortunately and predictably empty, he walked to his room and buried himself under the weighted blanket he used during the summer.  C losed his eyes and waited for sleep to arrive but it was too early for it too; he was not sure how many hours had passed, perhaps not too long, when he heard a soft knocking on the door and Mikasa's worried tone. 

  


“It's just a headache.”

  


It was not a lie; his head did feel like a cannon ball. Soon came another knock and he was nudged lightly. When he wiggled out of the confines of his cocoon, Mikasa handed him two pills and a glass of water. He took them wordlessly and even though he swallowed fast, the bitter taste remained on his tongue;  he was not sure if it was the legacy of the medication or his own mood. 

  


He quickly wormed back under the covers  but Mikasa remained there  next to him , silent  and watching , for a bit more. She massaged his shoulder, as he lay on one side, curled to himself and facing towards the wall  even  though his eyes were  pinched  closed and veiled with the blanket. She left some moments later and some more moments later, how many he could not know, the sleep came over him and drowned him into unconsciousness  compassionately and ruthlessly at once .

  



	7. Chapter 7

  


“You cooked?”

  


“Yeah.”

  


Eren ruffled his own bed hair as he took a seat in the dining table.

  


“What about work?”

  


“I switched my shift with another student's; I'll go in the afternoon. Are you feeling better?”

  


“Yeah. You made tomato omelette...”

  


“Thought I'd treat you. Armin wanted to have breakfast all together but got called in from work. He was the one who cut the tomatoes though.”

  


“Uh that sucks. It would've been nice to have breakfast together.”

  


“I know. He wasn't even supposed to be working today...”

  


“They are just exploiting him and they are supposed to be the government but hey, who said democracy was for the people by the people was just shitting us anyway. And they don't even pay him properly.”

  


“He had to rush to catch the metro, I shoved a toast in his hand but… I hope he at least has time to get coffee before he checks in.”

  


“Mmm...” Eren took a long sip from the black tea Mikasa had poured for him; it tasted of bergamot slightly and lovely. “Jean didn't pick him up?”

  


A puzzling look graced Mikasa's face as she spread butter over her toast methodically; “You actually asked that without an irritated face. Are you finally growing up?”

  


“Bleh.” Eren rolled his eyes dramatically. “Maybe I have other things on my mind. I don't spend my time grumping over Jean Kirschtein 24/7 you know.”

  


“Oh really?”

  


“Mikasa.”

  


“Armin wasn't sure if Jean was also called in and didn't want to wake him up early on their supposedly off day. Not that Jean is his chauffeur anyways.”

  


“He would be at least useful as a chauffeur.”

  


“So what's on your mind then?”

  


“Well… the numbing ghost of my migraine?” _And how will I fare in the future. How will I keep this secret from you and others until the end of summer. Will it come back to bite me one day. What do I do during school year to earn money. How much the books will cost._

  


“Maybe it's time you visited a neurologist for this… been long since you were on a regular medication.”

  


“It's just one attack...” _Ugh. Doctors. I still have to go to hospital. I don't want to see any doctors or clinics or hospitals…_

  


“Still, it may continue. Summer isn't a good time for migraine either. Perhaps they'll put you on--”

  


“I don't wanna be on antidepressants. They make me weird...”

  


“But they help. Don't be so stubborn and biased about it.”

  


“We don't even know if it helps...”

  


“You are stressed aren't you? Plus it did made your attacks fewer back then.”

  


“I really don't wanna talk about this right now.”

  


“Look, I'm just saying… Maybe they'll prescribe something else. Or maybe it will be an antidepressant but there's nothing you can do if that's what you need. This is a medical condition just as any.”

  


“I know... I will go if this becomes frequent...”

  


“Promise?”

  


His hands almost shook and stomach definitely clenched, suddenly appetite leaving him away and bitter taste of guilt crawling into his mouth…  _I am so dishonest with her. I really don't deserve her do I..._

  


“Promise.” 

  


  


* * *

 

 

  


Why did hospitals have to be so ugly?

  


It was not only the smell of death and dread that permeated them but also the mere design; so grey and dull, tall and large, looming over him like a god of pestilence and health alike. Under its shadow, Eren felt small and vulnerable. He had never been fond of hospitals—he could not think of anyone who could be—yet had never been particularly hateful of them either; perhaps after watching his father try so hard to get his diploma's equivalence and make it into one as a doctor, it had become symbol of effort and attainment, mostly. However now, his point of view had skewed greatly and he felt personally attacked by the concrete building before him.

  


He sighed.

  


Feeling unready to yet wander in, he took some time to pace the garden around it. Though the word 'garden' was a bit too flattering for what was essentially large patches of grass with a couple of benches here and there, people with faces as hopeless as Eren's occupying them. Guilt crept up on him; he had come for a check-up only and was likely to be healthy, at the worst case temporarily ailed by donation induced anaemia which was not that hard to cure. Given how careful Levi has been about hygiene, he wasn't at all afraid of any other infection or risk. His student insurance would cover the costs too and in any case, he had enough money in his pocket—for once in years—to pay any upfront costs, if there were any. All in all his situation was not horrible, he had to admit, howbeit this did not alleviate his mood and only made him worse, feeling like a spoiled kid, surely roughly treated by the fate but not as roughly as so many others he had to admit.

  


When he finally entered in, the antiseptic scent slapped him unceremoniously; white walls as pale as death and monotone corridors that all look the same except for the various signs which all used words that made no sense to him. It took more than a few trial and error turns and elevator rides to find the correct floor. He had to take a ticket and wait in the line until it was his turn. At first, he was lucky to have a free seat to sit on but when an elderly lady came around ten minutes later, he vacated his seat for her which meant waiting standing up for fifteen more minutes. The digital alarm chimed signalling the number change and it was his; the clerk at the counter took a bit longer than others when processing his entry. Apparently he had to have a card specific for this hospital which he did not so the clerk had to print one. It was relatively fast still and soon he was asked to wait again this time for his turn at the other side where the blood would be taken by a nurse.

  


It came quicker than he thought it would.

  


Getting blood drawn from him for testing was suddenly a much different experience than before. He scrutinised the needle stabbing him and the clear tube that was being steadily fed, turning a dark crimson opaque from transparent. He recalled the diagrams he had seen online that explained how vampire fangs worked; the 'magic of suction' they naturally provided, the extremely sharp points that made them useless for chewing but perfect for their actual function. 

  


“You're not one of those people afraid of needles huh?” The nurse joked.

  


“No, I'm not...” He mumbled, pondering about the sensation. It was a lot different; there were three counters each staffed by a nurse and the whole procedure was both very sterile and cold. He recognised just how intimate the act of feeding was compared to this, even though both were technically extraction of blood. There was that one time he had had food poisoning and was shortly hospitalised; he recalled the serum they hooked him up with and wondered if the difference was similar to that: actually eating versus receiving nutrients through a tube. The former surely felt more personal, 'normal'; though he found his attempt at analogy too weak as the acts were quite unlike. His inability in deducing subtler aspects of vampire diet reminded him his own ignorance too; all he knew of vampires were stuff he read from books and what he learnt from Levi; all he knew of feeding was from only two sessions held with Levi and online blogs with doubtful veracity. Even though he shared the same society, same city, same streets with these people, they were segregated from school to the hospitals that it was hard to mingle, even if you dared at the cost of social stigma. _Though it's probably not so much the same for the rich… I mean Levi lives in a mostly human neighbourhood… He isn't even an old vampire though how is he so rich… It doesn't make sense._

  


“There you go.”

  


“All done?”

  


“Yeah. Results should arrive in a few days.”

  


“Thanks.”

  


Even though he had lost rather than gained anything, it was as if the invisible burden on his shoulders had gotten heavier as he padded away from the station. Finding the exit was much easier and he deeply inhaled the air once he was outside, finally feeling his burden tremble however slightly.

  


Not feeling ready to go home, he walked around the hospital, recalling a coffee shop he had seen on his way earlier and planning to get a meagre lunch of bagel with cream cheese. He eventually came across it too and by all intents and purposes was about to enter it, when he realised the small Italian restaurant across the street. His feet stopped and without thinking twice, he charged in the opposite direction of the coffee shop. The waitress at the restaurant greeted him before leaving him to choose a table; there were only a few other patrons and most tables were empty. He sat near the large window overlooking the road and scanned through the menu as he was brought two slices of baguette with bruschetta on top and a small bottle of mineral water. 

  


He ordered a spinach and chicken pizza. 

  


It was delicious. 

  


While he ate pizza relatively often, especially during the school year because he would try and attend any events where free pizza would be served, it had been years since he had pizza this tasteful. Ingredients were fresh and the sauce evenly distributed, unlike the extra cheap ones they usually got at school, unnecessarily greasy and with thick, bland crusts. He thought of giving the tiramisu a try too but decided not to as the waitress wasn't sure whether or not there was any alcohol in it. Still the ice cream he chose in its place was amazing too. Authentic gelato was nothing like the store brand bucket of chocolate ice cream they got from the supermarket; this was heartily creamy with chunks of chocolate and real fruit teasing his tongue playfully. If he moaned a little, he pretended he did not hear himself.

  


By the time he was out and about again, strolling lazily in the streets of the metropolis he loved, his stomach was full but not heavy, his shoulders almost unburdened and back straight. He scanned around as he walked, catching the glimpse of a stray cat watching him cautiously from a corner, the whiff of roses from a first-floor balcony filled with several pots, a young girl passing by and giggling as she chatted with someone on the phone, a complicated mural with oranges and tigers on the backside of an old building… He felt lighter as he walked and inhaled deeper, moving further into the part of the town that was less crowded. The noise of cars passing by dwindled as did the other passers-by around. 

  


It was a fact that he rarely thought all the details and consequences before taking action, which often ended up giving him trouble. At the same time, some of the best decisions of his life, including how he met Mikasa and Armin, had been done just as so too. Donating his blood to a vampire wouldn't be his first choice in terms of work, if he actually had much of a choice; given his situation, he had chosen the best he could to allay his bleeding financial wound and the luck had been on his side because, however thorny, Levi was a decent person. It would be tough in the coming days but he could face it; he had faced much worse, at least that's what he believed. He took a turn to the left towards the nearest metro station according to his estimate of where he was, not bothering to double check with the GPS, content even if he got lost, having nowhere to rush to.

  


In honesty, he wasn't happy but he wasn't sad either; he hoped the calmness that started drizzling inside him wasn't a dream and he wouldn't wake up soon to dread.

  


He took a deep breath and temporarily shed his burden to the concrete pavement, quietly whistling as he quickened his pace.

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eren likes tomato omelettes as his mum used to make it relatively often.


	8. Chapter 8

When he had sent a copy of his test results to Levi via e-mail, all he had received in response was an “OK” alongside a date and a question mark. The date fit his schedule as well so he sent out his confirmation and spent the days to come in jitters of the uncertainty of his future. Not that his future had been any more concrete in the past, he kept reminding himself; it was unforeseeable in many ways already and always. 

  


Having an early morning shift at the burger place sucked; he had trouble sleeping early so waking up early was  tough . Furthermore, while he did not mind the early morning customers who were mostly blue collar workers  on their way to work at dawn , he did mind the lack of staffing and the extra cleaning duties the shift always involved. He would still prefer it to the noon-time rush or the weekend day time shifts though; the customers were horrendous then,  overly  demanding and rude, fully aware of their authority over the poorly paid fast food workers and abusing the  unholy rule of “ _customer is always right_ ” to the core, taking advantage of this bit of power they had almost to take revenge f or their otherwise dissatis factory life. Those were his most hated shifts. 

  


Once he was home by noon, he took a long bath, letting himself  relax in the warm water. It had been months since he had dared to take such a luxury, too fearful of fattening their utilities bill. It was a blessing, just to have a good time in the bathroom without worrying about the costs; he even vaguely wondered if he could get  a few 'bath bombs' or something similar. He had always wanted to try one after seeing people talk about them online but six dollars a bath was way above his budget before; now though,  based on the rough calculation in his mind, he could give it a try or two. Maybe foaming  ones would be cheaper than he could get even more. He wanted to save some money too and not spend everything he would be earning  from his summer job.

  


After dosing off a little and waking up in panic that he was late for his appointment with Levi, he rinsed himself and washed his hair as quickly as he could. Dressed up in clean clothes and packed his mobile phone in his pocket, he rushed out of the flat,  and by sheer luck alone was able to catch the bus as soon as he  arrived at the stop. Even the traffic was not as jammed as usual for the hour and he lost himself in thoughts again as blurred sights of houses and trees continued moving on in his view from the bus window; urban landscape  swirling and changing as the vehicle traversed through different neighbourhoods of different people, different lives, different ways. Sasha's birthday was coming up; they had chatted briefly about it when they all went to her and Connie's place for a film night on Saturday. She was going to hold a small party, only close friends, in their loft. Eren really wanted to give her something nice, given how supportive she had always been throughout their friendship, sometimes more understanding than others of where he is coming from, but it was always very difficult to find a good present for her. Given her finances, she could afford to buy anything she desired and she did too; it was not that Sasha was the only friend of theirs well off. Thanks to the kinds of schools  he had been attending and also his own background throughout his  adolescence ,  he had more than a few friends who were wealthy. But it was different with Connie or Jean; Connie was into all sorts of novelty items and fandoms and Eren could always gift something snide and mocking to Jean. Sasha though was mostly passionate about archery and food; Eren doubted he could afford a meaningful present in regards to archery, not knowing the sports well and any equipment he could give her likely she already had. If he could only cook, perhaps he could make something for her; he was sure she would appreciate homemade cooking. She was always the giddiest whenever Marco's mother sent cookies, going on and on about her  own  father's carrot cake that he used to bake for her when he  was still a young student and she was a small child, many years before he built up the successful carrier that would take him higher up in the social ladder. 

  


He was so lost in thoughts that he missed the stop he would have to take, though fortunately realised it right away and took the next one, hurrying back in the opposite direction, hoping he wouldn't be late and not stopping to check the time on his phone  to avoid losing any extra second. 

  


Much unusually, he actually had to wait more than ten seconds after he pressed the buzzer. Then even more strangely, when Levi finally opened the door, he was not his commonly bored, prim and proper self; instead he had a surprised tint to his expression and a pink apron with white polka dots on it.  Definitely not his usual attire.

  


“What are you doing here?!” 

  


“We are supposed to have a session?”

  


“Yes, in an hour.”

  


“Huh? But you said 5?”

  


“Yes, I said 5 and it is 4 pm right now.”

  


“What no—” Eren quickly pulled his phone out and swiped, ignoring the dramatic eye-roll Levi gave him. It indeed was 4:03 pm. He closed his eyes and whispered “fuck”. Too caught up in his own thoughts and at the idea of being late that he had glanced the hour wrong back at home and everything had gone downhill afterwards.

  


“Uh-oh, okay, it is 4 indeed… So I guess I'll just come back in an hour then.”

  


“Eren.”

  


“It's okay. Sorry to disturb you. I'll just walk around the block or go to a cafe. Should be alright.”

  


“Just come in.”

  


He looked at Levi warily, feeling out of place and un certain ; what would he even do at Levi's place beyond his duties as a donor?  Was his company outside their transaction welcome? Did they even share any hobbies or interests?  _Learning more about Levi would be nice though._

  


“Do you really want to walk around in the scorching heat? Just come in.” Levi insisted and then disinterestedly, as if certain that Eren would follow, simply turned and went back inside, the door left halfway open. Eren lingered in the threshold for a couple of seconds before entering with hesitant steps; removing his shoes and putting them on the shoe rack like always before following inside.

  


The house was very quiet, nobody around either in the hallway or the living room. The kitchen door was left open and Eren took a peek to that side, finding Levi near the counter  gingerly  working on something.

  


He moved into the kitchen in careful steps, hoping that he would not be intruding, and stopped on the other end of the counter, curiously peering to what Levi was doing: the man was looming over a cupcake pan, sprinkling something with one hand over the batter with precision. 

  


“Pistachios,” Levi announced without sparing a glance, perfectly engrossed in his work.

  


“I love pistachios.” Eren commented, hoping that it would make good small talk. Then he thought that perhaps it was a weird, presumptuous thing to say; he had thought that he would receive his fair share from cupcakes, already too used to Levi serving food for him, but it was rather ridiculous to assume they were for him or that he would get to enjoy some. For all he knew, Levi could be preparing for some other nonvampire friends; he sure seemed to have more than a few.

  


“Uh not that I'm trying to coerce you into giving me some… I just like pistachios.” He added, making Levi cast him an irritated side-eye.

  


“Don't get your knickers in a twist, I'll feed you.”

  


Eren shifted on his feet, choosing to recline on the counter and look around the kitchen.

  


“Oh well, thanks? I'm sure they'll turn out delicious.”

  


Levi did not respond to his politesse and instead pushed the pan into the oven, setting the timer with the careful eyes of an engineer calibrating crucial machinery.

  


A sudden meow made Eren jump in his place and he turned to his side, coming face to face with Daffodil who was near the kitchen door, standing on her paws rather aggressively and scrutinising him like an enemy.

  


_So we are still no good, huh…_

  


Soon she started moving around him with watchful eyes only to finally turn her back once she was  by Levi's feet, rubbing her cheeks on his calves affectionately and meowing more than usual.

  


“Hmm...” Levi glanced at her, “Hungry?”

  


When she continued meowing  and star ed up at him with expectant eyes, he let out a snort.

  


“Fine, fine, I'll get you something to eat. Little shit.”

  


“Ah do you want me to get out her bowl?”

  


Levi lifted his face up to give a puzzled look at Eren, only confusing Eren more on why Levi seemed so  bemused at his polite gesture. 

  


“Sure,” he said then, “it's—”

  


“I remember,” Eren bubbled, content that he was successfully making 'chit-chat' with Levi of all people. He quickly stepped onto the other side of the kitchen and leaned down near the garden door, grabbing Daffodil's glitzy bowl and taking it back to Levi.

  


“Thanks,” Levi murmured grasping the bowl from Eren who smiled and watched Levi pad to the fridge. He was a bit surprised when Levi took out a mason jar, much similar to large ones Eren's mother used to make homemade compote or pickles in. There were what seemed like cookies inside and Levi took out a few, placing them in the bowl before returning the jar back to the fridge.

  


He knelt then, one hand holding the bowl the other lovingly scratching behind her ears as she started bumping her head to his knee. 

  


“Here you go,” he whispered her in a way a parent would dote on their kid and Eren felt as though he was witnessing a private sight, an unnecessary fluster rising in him, as he watched Daffodil happily start chewing on the food and Levi folding his arms over his knees, keeping an eye on his cat gobbling the treat.

  


“I thought you'd give her cat food?” Eren tried to make conversation, taking a seat at the nook.

  


“It is cat food,” Levi replied.

  


“I meant like store bought stuff?”

  


“She has those too,” Levi explained, “these are just some homemade snacks.”

  


“You cook for her too?” Eren asked a tad bewildered but touched, “You really like cooking huh?”

  


Levi shrugged as he stood and turned his back to Eren, scrubbing the counter slowly.

  


“You want tea?”

  


“Yeah, sure.” 

  


_I have drank more tea in the last weeks than I have in months I guess but hey, his teas are always great so…_

  


Eren sat a little bit more comfortably, sprawling larger, noting how cute and misleadingly peaceful Daffodil appeared munching on her meal before  his eyes shifted over to  Levi  again .

  


His host was very graceful even when doing the most mundane tasks; taking off an apron had never seemed aesthetic to Eren but Levi made it so, almost. Every movement so calculated, the way he reached for the kettle, filling it with just enough water, flicking the stove on with a single gesture. Perhaps the only stutter was when he rose  o n his toes to an upper shelf to snatch a metal tin of tea. He measured out two teaspoons into the infuser inside the glass teapot that seemed to be always present on the counter.

  


“It is very methodical,” he said removing two glass cups from the cabinet. Eren did not catch on at first as to why Levi had mentioned this. 

  


“There is a recipe, you follow it and change it as you like. Cooking is very methodical and simple.” 

  


With the whistle of the kettle, he moved to turn off the stove. He poured  some water into the teapot; quickly filling it maybe only one third, then putting the kettle on the counter. He held the pot with one hand from the handle and moved it in circles in the air  a few times , swirling the liquid inside, rather quickly too, then he poured it into the sink.

  


“You don't drink the first infusion; it is to clean the tea.” He commented before resuming to filling the pot with water again, the transparent colour promptly changing into shades of red and orange, whirling and mixing before their eyes. He let it stand once the pot was full and put away the kettle on the stove.

  


“Where did you learn to cook? By yourself?” Eren asked, thinking it would be safe given Levi had willingly elaborated.

  


“Mostly by myself.” Levi said, watching the teapot absentmindedly. “Though the first few stuff, mum taught me.”

  


“Oh. Does she like cooking?”

  


“She did.” Levi replied with a level voice but the words sank like heavy stones on Eren's chest.

  


“I'm sorry.”

  


“It's okay, it's been a long time.”

  


Eren could smell light traces of roses in the air; the door to the backyard was not fully closed and one of the windows was open  behind the thick curtains . He wondered if Levi had roses in his backyard. He also wondered whether or not he should tell Levi that his own parents were also deceased; he never minded informing strangers of this and he would not mind sharing this with Levi. Still, he was unused  in engaging with a stranger on such sensitive topics, though Levi was not too much a stranger by now, perhaps. 

  


Levi padded towards him with a cup in each hand and the scent of roses got stronger; Eren understood why once a cup was placed in front of him.

  


He sniffed  audibly .

  


“It smells like roses?”

  


“It has rose petals in it.”

  


“Oh? A rose blend with black tea?”

  


“Yeah?”

  


“Wow.”

  


He was genuinely impressed and took a sample sip; the rich taste of black tea was emboldened with the smoothness of roses. It reminded him of the rose jam his grandmother used to make from the fragrant roses in her garden. 

  


“This is really nice!”

  


Levi nodded, drinking from his own cup calmly, quietly.

  


A  pleasant silence grew around them, a few minutes later a teasing smell creeping up from the oven, filled the small room with a specific warmth not due to the summer that reigned outside but something else.  Something  Eren could not name but he enjoyed; almost brimming with nostalgia, brushes of longing here and there perhaps, but peaceful, graceful, hopeful. It was unlike any of the moments he experienced within this house or in the last week which had been a roller coaster ride of emotions with extra anxiety peaks.  Nor perhaps, even with his friends where joy rather always vibrated, even in the quiet.  There and then though, time seemed to slow down; good, simple things about life seemed  to  blossom around naturally,  gently and so very leisurely.

  


Her meal finished, Daffodil lazily stalked to her owner; she did not jump to his lap but instead stretched on the floor before his feet and then l ay down.

  


Eren wondered, if this was what Levi's everyday life was like; he could ask, but it was probably an awkward question to ask.  S o he swallowed that particular line of inquiry.

  


“I lost my parents too.” He said instead.

  


Levi nodded and Eren was more than a little curious about the kinds of things in  Levi's mind.  If it had been the right thing to say or if Levi would prefer not to hear such details about Eren's life. What did Levi think or feel in these kinds of placid moments… 

  


“I'm sorry for your loss.” Levi said a little later.

  


“Thanks.” 

  


Silence settled in after  once more  but was coloured considerably with Daffodil's purring; Eren thought that Levi must be very fond of flowers, given all the flowers he had in his garden as well as his cat's name.  _He even has rose tea. Yup, definitely a flower guy._ _It kinda suits actually..._

  


After another refill, some words exchanged about weather  and heinous humidity , and the beeping of the oven to alert that Levi's cupcakes were finished baking, Eren offered that they start their session. Levi agreed but busied himself with the cupcakes while Eren moved to the living room. He glanced at the clock on the wall and found that it had been over forty minutes since he arrived. 

  


Levi came in soon enough and sat next to him. Eren extended his arm and Levi took it in his hands. 

  


_Breathe in and out. Like always. You've done this before. You know how it goes._

  


“You're good?”

  


“Yeah.”

  


“'kay.”

  


He counted in his mind and let his inhales and exhales fall in a rhythm with his counting. Once Levi's lips enveloped the sensitive skin of the inside of his arm, his heartbeat rose, outside of his control and much in accordance with natural instincts. 

  


_I'm not only my instincts._

  


It stung. 

  


The bite always stung at first and the first discomfort was always the aching. A wound; small punctures in his skin, meat, vein; then what grew more prominent would be the feeling of suction. He tried to reminisce about how it had felt to be pierced by the needle only a couple of days ago; he had not felt the same rush, the same panic over leaking the very essence of his life.  _There_ _is_ _a_ _reason_ _why_ _they_ _call it_ _'lifeblood'_ ,  he thought bitterly . Though, maybe it was simply because Levi's fangs were larger; surely the actual canals in them were not as big, likely still bigger than that of the needles used to draw the blood out for testing. He had never paid attention to the scale charts when he researched about these things and saw those diagrams of vampire fangs. 

  


He heard a gulp. 

  


His eyes cracked open at the noise; the hazy view of the barely-green almost-white painted wall came. He exhaled to stabilise himself and Levi's sucking softened, slowed down; he felt the  familiar  calloused hand reach for his own, sliding down from his wrist, and he let their fingers intertwine and squeezed back when Levi's grip tightened for a mere second. If he had to conclude, Eren would say Levi was much more adept in communication without words than with words. 

  


He closed his eyes again once Levi lapped with his tongue on  the skin near the fangs; small noises continued to come  infrequently , mixed with the  much more regular  ticking of the clock. Eren realised how Daffodil had not followed them into the living room; he wondered if she was still in the kitchen. Considering how at ease Levi was, maybe she was a well-behaved cat; not one of those who messed up the house a lot.  _Would be fitting, she is Levi's cat after all._

  


His shoulders slouched as Levi fed on, his left hand still in Levi's, though fingers now only loosely  locked ; he would curl and uncurl his toes now and then to ease the restlessness,  the  thumb of  his  right hand lazily caressing the arm of the sofa, fingertip pressing onto the carvings on the wooden part of it, tracing them.

  


A sharp pain and another lap of a tongue; immediately a deep inhale.

  


_He is finished. Good._

  


Eren sat straight and opened his eyes, turning to Levi who was wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

  


“I'll go brush my teeth.” He said, though Eren had already guessed when Levi stood. “Don't wander, I'll bring something to eat.”

  


“Okay.” Eren concurred and Levi stared at him for a second before making his way to the bathroom.

  


_Why is he staring? Do I look weird? Shit, I never know how I look after the feeding. Is my hair messed up? Ugh, whatever…_

  


He reclined back again, eyes lingering around the room as an innocent daze started settling over his mind. He really disliked this part of the feeding but assured himself that it would pass soon; especially after he got some food in. Mostly accidentally, he glanced at his left arm and saw the two little 'holes': more than punctures, they looked like tiny drops of blood, circular blemishes only.

  


Soon they would disappear too; the minuscule legacy of the intimate moment they shared would be completely gone and only two would know of what took place within the peaceful confines of this idyllic house.  It sounded almost surreal even to himself.

  


“You're good with tea again?”

  


He heard Levi's call and raised his head; kitchen door was open wider than before.  _He must have started preparing food already..._

  


“Yeah, I'm fine with tea.” He hollered back, his right thumb drawing circles over the wounds of Levi's fangs that were already almost gone.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The cupcakes that Levi makes in this chapter (and later serves with tea to Eren but you guys didn't get to see that part) are pistachio raspberry cupcakes from here: http://www.marthastewart.com/334279/pistachio-raspberry-tea-cakes


	9. Chapter 9

_This is a horrible idea._

  


Yet logically, it was the perfect idea. He had come up with it on his way back home from Levi's place after their last session: asking Levi to teach him how to bake a carrot cake. Surely a baker as skilled as Levi knew how to make a delicious carrot cake and it would likely be the best present he could give Sasha. However, every time he set his mind on it, another part of his mind struck a blow of insecurity:  _You'll really ask Levi to teach you baking?_

  


The problem was: Eren did not do acquaintances well. He had friends with whom he had established a degree of familiarity with and could ask of help from, as well as some friendly elders, like uncle Hannes or Prof. Zoe. While he had met people whom he had not categorised as either, he usually maintained a relationship of mere greetings with such people. Hence, even thinking about asking such a favour from someone who was mostly an 'acquaintance' at best or an almost-stranger at worst was discomforting. Worse was the fact that Levi was his client; would such a request be unprofessional? Could it disturb Levi? He normally did not care for etiquette so much other than being decent to people who were decent, but he could not afford pissing Levi off and knowing how he himself did not like people transgressing his own social boundaries, knowing how private and reserved and individual Levi was, he would feel guilty if he made the strange man uncomfortable. 

  


He was too absorbed in thought that his reflexes were a lot slower throughout the day and it gifted him a rather nasty little burn, thanks to the fries he was moving.

  


“Shit.”

  


“Dude. Be careful.” Junting called out from the window he stood by near the station, waiting for the next car to drive by to pick up their order.

  


He rushed to the tap to hold it under cold water; though the water that ran was only lukewarm due to the summer heat. Sighing, he was about to go back to the front to get some ice when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

  


“Here you go.”

  


“You're my saviour.”

  


Eren gratefully took the bag of ice from his colleague's hand.

  


“Man, you're gonna get me in trouble with my pastor.” Junting chuckled. “How bad is it?”

  


“Nah just a small one.”

  


“Good good. Don't go around daydreaming, 'kay? We're already one man down!”

  


“No worries.” Eren knocked one shoulder to his but the guy moved away with a smirk and was already on his way back to the drive-through window. 

  


Albeit in dire need of returning to his work to spew an unhealthy amount of salt onto the greasy fries, Eren took a second to clear his mind and let the chill fully embrace the little burn on the flesh between his index finger and thumb. 

  


_What is the worst that could happen? I should just ask him. He will reject if he doesn't want to and we'll move on and I'll just buy some comic book for Sasha… Maybe manga. Levi is a privy person but then he is kind of laid-back too? It should be alright. Yeah, yeah—_

  


“Oi! Eren, dude! Where are you? I salted these but half is already gone we need a new batch.”

  


Eren scowled, the bite of oil still softly sizzling his skin even under ice, but he could not just leave work because of it.  _Not like it's your first burn, just suck it up._

  


“Yeah, yeah, I'm coming...” 

  


_I'll just ask him. Nothing to overthink._

  


Afternoon rush at work was unbearable; the AC did nothing to alleviate the heat which was amplified with all the stoves and grills around them and the customers flooded in as the office hours ended. At least the number of over-entitled parents was low during the afternoon rush, which was the sole silver-lining of this particular shift. Since they were not allowed any proper break, Eren did not have any time to initiate his plan until he was out of the burger shop. After a full year of working there, he had already become used to the stench of frying oil that stuck onto him as if to never let go; still, it bothered him during hot days. He tiredly walked home, legs too heavy and weary from having to stand up all day long, hands fumbling with the phone typing up a message he hoped sounded appropriate. 

  


**[to: levi]**

**do u know how to bake carrot cake?**

  


_Is it too direct? Maybe I should have said 'hi' first?_

  


**[from: levi]**

**Yes?**

  


**[to: levi]**

**can u teach me next time i'm over?**

  


**[from: levi]**

**You want me to teach you how to bake a carrot cake? Why? Do you not have internet? Do you not use google?**

  


**[to: levi]**

**i dont get recipes like reading doesn't help at all**

  


**[from: levi]**

**There is something called youtube where you can watch them make.**

  


**[to: levi]**

**yk what ok nvm let me know when i can come for the next session**

  


Eren would throw his phone onto the pavement if he could afford to buy a new phone; since he could not, he opted for glaring at the device as though Levi's uncivil nonchalance was its fault. A couple of seconds later it trembled in his clasp, giving a suspicious edge to Eren's threatening gaze of fury. Notification went away too fast for him to properly read but he caught the name 'levi'. After more glaring, he gave up and swiped it on to read what he had received.

  


**[from: levi]**

**If you can come an hour early again, like last time, I can show you. Also, I'm free next Wednesday at 5 pm.**

  


He bit his lip considering how to respond.

  


_Well, here goes nothing._

  


**[to: levi]**

**so i'll come at 4 next wednesday then? for the cake and the blood?**

  


It took mere seven seconds for a reply to arrive.

  


**[from: levi]**

**'Cake and the blood' sounds horrid but yes.**

  


Eren snorted before sticking his phone into the pocket of his jeans. A breeze would have been lovely though the weather was instead stale with humidity and no stars were to be seen beyond the veil of the harsh light pollution. 

  


* * *

 

  


  


“It smells like fish.”

  


Perhaps that was not the politest thing to say upon entering someone's house but it was very odd to catch a whiff of any scent other than soap or detergent in Levi's home. 

  


Levi, who had been leading him towards the living room, stopped in his track and peered back.

  


“You don't like fish?”

  


“No, I like it?”

  


“Good.”

  


Eren hoped that the smell coupled with Levi's question meant that he would later be receiving a much delicious, if literally fishy, meal. His day was shaping up to be better than he had hoped; not only did Levi seemed unperturbed by this turn of events, which was very much outside their professional transaction, but it also had been a long time since he had proper fish that was not canned tuna.

  


“So, if you can tell me the ingredients we'll use I can go and buy them? I saw a grocery store on the way with bus, about two stops away?”

  


“I have everything we need already.”

  


“Uh, is that alright?”

  


“I am planning to keep the cake so yeah.”

  


“Okay.”

  


“I'll give you a slice to taste, don't cry.”

  


“I'm not crying!”

  


He was not crying indeed though it was true that he had started scowling.

  


“Wash your hands in the sink; I'll get you an apron.”

  


“Do I have to wear an apron?” 

  


“Yes.”

  


Eren did not mind wearing an apron but the idea of wearing one sounded rather ridiculous too, being unused to such order in kitchen; he scanned around and found the precisely measured ingredients already laid out on the counter. 

  


He quickly washed his hands and was about to dry them by wiping onto his t-shirt when a loud “tch” made him glance back. Levi was giving him a dirty stare.

  


“There is a towel there.” 

  


Eren followed Levi's gaze and snatched the small hand towel that was dangling from a holder on the door of one of the cabinets. 

  


“No need to get mad you know.”

  


“It won't matter that you washed your hands if you then wipe them on your outside clothing.”

  


“Okay, sorry.”

  


“Huh?”

  


“I said sorry!” Eren repeated, exasperated only to realise that the look Levi was giving him was one of puzzlement than ire. “Didn't mean to. I'll be careful from now on…?”

  


“Here.” Levi shoved the apron onto him. “Wear this.”

  


Eren tried not to let the obvious way Levi turned his eyes away get to him. 

  


The floral printed yellow apron was—unsurprisingly—at least two sizes too small for him. He thought it would still do and while Levi did give him a funny look at first, he must have also agreed so, for instead of commenting on it, he started enumerating what they would be using to make the carrot cake.

  


“Butter, unsalted. Don't just take it off the fridge. It has to be at room temperature.”

  


_Oh so even the butter's temperature matter?!_

  


“Baking soda. Baking powder. Salt.”

  


“Do you have exact measures of these?”

  


“Yeah, wrote them on a paper. I'll give you later. For now just follow me.”

  


“Okay.”

  


“So salt. Cinnamon, ground of course you don't want sticks of wood in your cake.”

  


Eren snorted at the joke but Levi simply moved on.

  


“Nutmeg, ground. Some vanilla extract. I use pure but artificial stuff should do too if you don't want to spend too much money. Sugar; dark-brown. Confectioner's sugar too. Cream cheese, room temperature again. Then eggs, carrots, and of course flour. This is all-purpose flour, you can buy the cheapest, it's okay; you're not a patissier and this is only carrot cake. So far so good?”

  


“Yeah?”

  


“Good. Now grate those carrots.” Levi offered him a grater, which Eren stared at with bemusement.

  


“Don't tell me you've never grated anything?”

  


“Well…”

  


“You're kidding me...” 

  


He grabbed a bowl from those he had already stacked on the counter and a carrot; he made a show of the first few times he motioned the carrot back and forth then handed it to Eren.

  


“Now you do it.”

  


“Oh this is easy.”

  


“Easy my ass, your holding it too lose; grip it properly. You'll make a mess around you.”

  


“Like this?”

  


“Not really but whatever. Good enough. Hey, don't use that side—it will grate bigger pieces, use the side with the smaller holes—the one I used.”

  


“Okay okay I got it.”

  


“Tch.”

  


“Levi.”

  


The task was not difficult but being under Levi's scrutiny did make him drop the carrot he was holding a few times, earning a “tsk” or a scowl each time from his spartan teacher. Much to his dismay the task of grating two carrots took more than five minutes. 

  


“What's next?”

  


“Wash your hands and dry them?”

  


“Ah, yes.”

  


“Then set the oven to 180C.”

  


Once the ping of the oven was heard, signalling that it had been set properly, Levi shoved a loaf pan to Eren.

  


“Now butter and flour this.”

  


“Huh?”

  


“You layer it with some butter and flour”

  


“Like this?”

  


“Yeah. You don't have to spend too much time on it—that's enough butter. Just a thin layer is fine.”

  


“This' good?”

  


“Yes. Okay now put it away there. Take the big bowl and whisk the things on the first row: flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and the cinnamon.”

  


“I shouldn't put the butter?”

  


“Nope, just those. We'll mix the others separately.”

  


“Oh, I thought you mixed it all at one.” 

  


“Put a little more power—crush them properly.”

  


“Sir, yes sir! I'll show them no mercy!”

  


“You're enjoying this too much.”

  


“Well I've never really baked so… It is kind of fun.”

  


“Kids these days...”

  


“Yeah, sorry for not knowing how to bake between taking extra credit courses, tutoring first years, and flipping burgers—I sorta had no time left. Or money to buy the ingredients for that matter most of the time.”

  


“It's fine—you're overdoing it now. I told you to crush them, not turn it into vapour. Also if you learn how to bake you can economise.”

  


“Like how? I'm just looking at this all and it doesn't seem cheap to me.”

  


“Basic flour gets really cheap at the sales and you can buy a big bag—put the bowl away near the pan. Take the other bowl, we'll mix the other stuff. What was I saying—yeah, get flour cheap in bulk and the rest are actually not that expensive. Butter goes on sale and you can buy big batches, just throw them in freezer, they'll be good for long. You can make bread or scones. They don't require many ingredients but are still very nutritious.”

  


_Wow I think that was the longest he ever talked to me… He is really into this, huh._

  


“Hmm… I don't know. So I mix the butter—what else?”

  


“Start with the butter and sugar; here, use the mixer.”

  


“Thanks—wow this is quite noisy!”

  


“Don't turn it on before putting it in the bowl you shithead!”

  


“Ah sorry sorry. Okay, here we go. Wow. I think I can do this.”

  


“You beat butter and sugar. Wow indeed. Someone gotta give you a Nobel.”

  


“Levi, I'm sorry but you are an ass.”

  


“An ass who is spending his free time teaching you how to bake.” Levi rolled his eyes. “And you really would save money. Baked goods don't go bad easily either. Okay that's enough, now beat in eggs and a teaspoon of vanilla.”

  


“Oh you didn't prepare it out.”

  


“You have the teaspoon and the vanilla.”

  


“Ah there we go. Now I just continue mixing?”

  


“Yeah.”

  


“Hmm… this is not bad actually. Maybe I will try baking. If I have some time.”

  


“Hmmph...”

  


“What?”

  


“Add in the grated carrots too. Mix more.”

  


“O-okay. Let's see… this looks nice like this, orange.”

  


“It's a colour.”

  


“You don't like orange?”

  


“I don't have anything against it.”

  


“What's your favourite colour then?”

  


“Black.”

  


“I don't think that counts as a colour Levi. Is this enough?”

  


“Yeah, it's enough.”

  


“So colour?”

  


“Blue?”

  


“Hmm… I thought it was green.”

  


“Why? Take the flour mixture to your other hand; you'll now mix it in but as the mixer is running—it should be on low though.”

  


“Okay it's on low now and I'm supposed to pour slowly right?”

  


“Yeah, part by part.”

  


“So like this?”

  


“Yeah like that.”

  


“This is trickier.”

  


“Just keep shaking the bowl slowly.”

  


“Yup. I think it's all poured now. Yeah, it's all poured.”

  


“Continue mixing. You'll mix it until the batter is even.”

  


“Okay. Well, I thought green because you know, your living room is all green. Your walls, furniture and stuff.”

  


“That was Farlan.”

  


“Eh?”

  


“Farlan bought the furniture and chose the colours.”

  


“So green is his favourite colour?”

  


“Yeah.”

  


“I see.”

  


_They are really close huh?_

  


“Stop daydreaming and focus.”

  


“Uh yeah yeah. Is this good?”

  


“No, beat it a bit more.”

  


“Now?”

  


“Yeah, better. Pour the batter into the pan.”

  


“Wait—that's all?”

  


“We'll do the frosting separately but the batter is ready for oven.”

  


“Well...” Eren grinned, carefully transferring the batter into the loaf pan as though it was a sensitive step in a complex chemical experiment, “that was easier than I thought.”

  


“That's because it is easy. It's only a carrot cake.”

  


“Not everyone is a master baker Levi. So I just throw this into the oven?”

  


“Yes; set the timer to 40 minutes. It may take up to 45 too; you can insert a toothpick to check. If the toothpick comes out clean, it will have baked enough.”

  


“That's handy to know. And there we go!”

  


Eren stared happily at the sight of his creation facing the heat inside the culinary metal cage, surely only to come out firmer, not only edible but also delicious; he trusted in Levi's teaching and recipes.

  


“That's creepy.”

  


“Eh?”

  


“Stop staring at it like its porn.”

  


“The fuck—you've got a horrible mouth you know.”

  


“Says the guy who just said fuck. By the way, we're done. We can do the frosting after the session.”

  


“Would that be okay?”

  


“Yeah and I don't want you looking at my oven like that with nothing else to do for the next 40 minutes.”

  


“Fine, I'll just… help you clean first.”

  


“Your vacuuming was really sloppy.”

  


“And you made me do it three times.”

  


“If this is as sloppy, you'll have to wash the stuff for four or five times.”

  


“Why?” Eren caught the piece of cloth Levi slid towards him on the counter, slight tinge of a whine slipping into his tone.

  


“Because these are bowls. Food is made here. Kitchen is very important.”

  


“You won't even get ill...”

  


“Maybe but I feed other people who can, like the ungrateful you here.”

  


“Oh so caring of your humans...” Eren intoned, scowling as he scrubbed the sticky marks left by wet pinches of flour on the counter.

  


“Don't say that.”

  


“Say what.”

  


“ _Your humans._ Nobody is _my_ human. You cannot own humans.”

  


“I didn't mean it like that...”

  


“I know, but I don't like it even as a joke.”

  


“Okay...”

  


“Scrub it harder, there's a spot left.”

  


“I can't see it.”

  


“Near your thumb.”

  


“You can see that?!”

  


“You can't? Do you have hyperopia?”

  


“No, I—what is that even?”

  


“Are you longsighted?”

  


“No? That's the word? Hyperopia?”

  


“Yeah. Now remove that spot.”

  


Levi's cleaning was methodical, as graceful as any other movement of his body, as if each swipe well calculated to perfection—perhaps they were; he appreciated cleanliness that much Eren could tell and he was old. Years of diligent cleaning must have led to some superior skills in the area, Eren supposed.

  


_Yeah, he's like… twenty years older than me_ .

  


Despite the knowledge, he could not shed the dissociation with the thought: the person who was standing next to him, attentively washing the used bowls, albeit looking so youthful and barely in his twenties was actually two decades older.

  


Too caught up in his own thinking and sneakily observing Levi's manners, he did not hear the creaking of the door but he did hear the soft “meow”.

  


“Ah Daffodil!”

  


She did not spare even a glance to him, however, fully set on her dear owner, quickly snuggling to Levi's legs and patting them.

  


“Huh? Oh.”

  


He must have understood what it was because Levi swiftly turned off the tap and rubbed his hands dry on the apron, kneeling down to pet Daffodil and immediately being blessed by a light headbutt.

  


“You're kidding me!”

  


“What?”

  


“She headbutt you! She headbutt your knee!”

  


“Yeah, she likes that...” Levi smiled softly, caressing the base of her chin gently.

  


“You're so lucky… why are you so lucky?!”

  


“I am lucky because I got headbutted by a cat?”

  


“Yes! By Daffodil no less!”

  


“It's not a great feat...” Levi stood back up, returning to his cleaning as the cat continued cuddling his feet much to Eren's envy.

  


“Forget headbutting, has she ever let anyone to even pet her? Other than you that is?”

  


When no answer came Eren stopped his scrubbing, gaping at Levi's thoughtful face.

  


“You're joking. I was asking it rhetorically. She really never lets anyone pet her?”

  


“She's… picky.”

  


“Picky as in nobody but Levi picky?”

  


“Yes. And don't stop; wipe it one more time at least.”

  


“Okay.”

  


“Hmm...”

  


“What?”

  


“Nothing. You can go on ahead after that.”

  


“Oh, there's nothing else?”

  


“Not really, I'll put the aprons in the laundry and that's it.”

  


“I don't think these are dirty I mean there's only flo—you don't have to glare at me you know. Okay, okay. I'm taking it off.” Eren left the tiny towel he had used for wiping the counter into the sink before removing the apron and folding it as appropriately as he could.

  


Eren made his way into Levi's living room finding it as it always was; clock on the wall ticking away gently, the haze of afternoon sun blocked by the thick curtains, and the fresh yet slightly detergent-like scent in the air. He sat on the sofa that he always sat, noting how comfortable it was despite looking old, even older than the couch they had back home; it was pristine and quite fancy though so it must have been the care and the material making the difference. Poking the forest green cushions, he glanced at the kitchen's door, hoping that Daffodil would come over but even when Levi appeared at the threshold and moved in, the cat was nowhere to be seen.

  


“She's not coming?”

  


“Not until after we are done.”

  


“Oh, okay.”

  


After an awkward stare exchange Levi cleared his throat.

  


“You're good to start?”

  


“Yeah, I'm good...” Eren turned his head to face the other side, the same old same wall, the same old same undetermined shade of light green. _Leaf Fairy Dust. Hmm, nah. Pastel Seaweed Touch._

  


Levi took a hold of his arm and Eren thought of the hands he had watched working just minutes before; only in reminiscence he noted how well trimmed Levi's nails always seemed to be, just as neat as the undercut he wore or the organisation of his furniture.

  


A tiny sniff.

  


“Hmm?”

  


“Nothing. You smell of cinnamon.”

  


“Really? I didn't feel it. I think I got a pinch on me when I was adding… um, sorry?”

  


“It's okay.”

  


“Should've been more careful… I know your noses are sensitive.”

  


“I said it's okay. I don't mind the cinnamon...” 

  


The wetness of Levi's lip made Eren forgot whatever words he was about to utter; he held his breath, the forgotten anxiety slightly nudging him—he wondered if he could ever become used to this. Could one ever become used to being bitten, not out of affection or hatred, but mere aggressive need of consumption? Of being food—because that's what he essentially was once Levi sank his fangs in; could he ever become used to being 'food'? Even the idea frightened him. Some part of him hoped that there was more to this act than simply reducing himself to nutrition for the other.

  


Regardless and perhaps with an ironic twist, when Levi finally broke his skin, teeth deep in his veins, blood flowing; he did not feel frightened. Nerves tensed and senses heightened, twinge of pain itchy and bitter, yet he could not find himself afraid. As much as the idea of the nature of their relationship was apprehensive, the actual act did not scare him, thanks to some faith that Levi would never hurt him. Mikasa and Armin would probably regard it as some sort of madness.

  


Levi pressed his lips further, or perhaps he always did it and Eren recognised it only then, when his senses did not seem blurred with worry. Their texture soft and smooth compared to the sharpness of the teeth, they burnt the impression of an imperfect ellipse on his arm... Eren dragged his nails across the side of the cushion he was sitting on. Compared to the ongoings over his flesh and blood, the shivering of his soul, his eyes saw only the dullness of the wall; everything calm in that very neutral tone, of nothingness and emptiness; as if his perception stuck between two different lives, between two different universes, a sense of isolation that made it awkward and strangely compartmentalised, a sense of being out-of-place running through him.

  


He was lost in that gap—in that disconnect between his senses, the cliff of feeling and not feeling, his body and mind both confused as how to respond, how to compute. Why had he not fallen victim to this particular hole before? He was not sure nor was he in any capacity to ponder about.

  


“Eren?”

  


He shuddered and turned to Levi on reflex, which he apologised for immediately.

  


“It's okay I was done anyway. You okay?”

  


“Yeah, why?”  
  


“You looked… bewildered.”

  


“Nah, I'm good. Just… spaced out I guess.”

  


Levi gave him this odd look, searching and poking for an answer on Eren's face, but Eren was not sure what the question was in the first place. 

  


“I'll be back… Are you good to prepare the icing?”

  


“If you can give me five minutes?”

  


“I'll give you ten; knock yourself out.”

  


“Preferably not!” Eren tried to joke behind Levi who ignored him.

  


_Stop being weird Eren Jaeger._

  


 


	10. Chapter 10

  


Eren opened his eyes only when he heard Levi's soft footsteps accompanied with meows. He expected to find Levi somewhere in the living room, but given the clinking of the porcelain and shush of the running water, he was in the kitchen. 

  


Instead of Levi, his precious princess was standing before Eren.

  


“Hi Daffodil...” Eren lazily waved to the cat who walked around the sofa, her ears up like a pair of antenna and steps cautious, after circling back to in front of him she sat, her tail swiping across the wooden floor.

  


“Still suspicious huh? Come on, I even fed you.”

  


“I told you bribery would not work with her…” Levi was standing beside the kitchen door, peering towards Eren.

  


“Uh hey.”

  


“Cake is almost ready.”

  


“Okay… I'm coming.” 

  


But when Eren stood up, Daffodil also stood immediately, rising her back and looking positively enraged.

  


“Uh? Daffodil? Can I pass?”

  


Eren tried stepping forward and Daffodil stepped back, her eyes still on him.

  


“Levi.”

  


“What?” 

  


“Can you—can you come and take Daffodil?”

  


“What?!”

  


“She's blocking my way...”

  


“You can't be—“ Levi poked his head from the open kitchen door and sighed at the sight. “Daffodil.” 

  


His voice was stern and efficient, it seemed, for Daffodil dashed to the other side of the room towards Levi  in the blink of an eye .

  


“So you're scared of her now?”

  


“I am not scared of her!” Eren pouted as he dragged his sluggish body to the kitchen, keeping an eye on Daffodil's whereabouts. “I just don't want to make her hate me more by doing things she does not like and yeah maybe I also don't want to be clawed or bitten again...”

  


“You're learning.”

  


“That doesn't mean I've given up though! I will make her like me!”

  


“Stop blabbering and take out the cake.”

  


Eren took the proffered oven mitts and  pulled down the oven's door, peeking at his delicious smelling creation before taking it into both his hands carefully, as though he was holding a newborn.

  


“God it smells wonderful!”

  


“Of course, there's cinnamon in it.”

  


“You like cinnamon?”

  


“Everybody likes cinnamon?”

  


“Pfft, Levi. Jean hates it.”

  


“Jean?”

  


“Uh a douchebag friend from school.”

  


“If he's a douchebag, why are you friends with him?”

  


“Well even douchebags can have good qualities… Like helping shovel the snow or giving his fries to you when eating out. So can I cut a piece now?”

  


“Of course not. You let it cool inside the pan for five minutes or so. Then take it out and let it cool fully.”

  


“So we just wait?”

  


“Yeah. You have to eat something though. And I don't mean the cake.”

  


“Okay.” _Sure, sure, mum. I wonder how he'd react if I actually called him 'mum' out loud._

  


“Why are you tittering like a kid?”

  


“I'm not.”

  


Levi grimaced and shook his head, removing a stainless steel pot with a closed lid from the stove top, placing it over an ornate trivet on the counter. The second he raised the lid, a distinct aroma filled the room.

  


“It smells really good. Fishy but good?”

  


Surprisingly, Levi smiled a bit at the comment though mostly to himself.

  


Soon a bowl filled with a creamy, thick soup was set before him; the steam rising slowly and playfully, almost like an invitation. The first spoonful and he was still puzzled; it was very tasty but also unlike any other chowder Eren had eaten before. Thinking it would make a good topic for chit-chat, since there was still time for the cake to cool down and Levi was not eating or drinking anything, making it hard for Eren to stay silent and not feel awkward, he opened his mouth—he didn't get a chance to try his conversation starter, “ _It's smokier than most chowder huh?_ ” though as the buzzer rang through the house.

  


“I'm surprised they waited this long this time...” Levi breathed tiredly as he got up to get the door, Eren rather suspicious and confused. The bemusement did not last long though, as a loud and happy voice soon started chirping in the corridor.

  


“Heyo-ooo!”

  


“Weren't you guys supposed to come after class?”

  


“It got cancelled!”

  


“Which means you cancelled it?”

  


“Hey hey now, we come bearing gifts!”

  


“Farlan, these are cat treats.”

  


“They _are_ Daffodil's favourites  though.”

  


“Yes, but how are they a gift for me?”

  


“Come on Levi, she's your princess, she comes first, right? By the way, why does the house smell so nice?”

  


“Nice, ugh Farlan, it smells fishy. Haha, fishy and fishy. You get it?”

  


“Yeah, yeah I get it dear, unfortunately I—Wait a second. Oh God. You would not.”

  


“It isn't anything special.”

  


“How could you call it 'not anything special'?!”

  


Eren thought the brisk footsteps belonged to Isabel but the energetic rush was apparently not hers as the first person to enter the kitchen, rather quickly too, was Farlan who seemed almost hypnotised and made a beeline to the counter where the pot of soup stood. He carefully lifted one side of the lid and peeked, then took a loud sniff. Then another.

  


“Ah! Heaven!”

  


“Ugh, I can't believe him! It's just a weird fishy soup!” Isabel scoffed as she came in, Levi following a step behind shrugging; “Whatever floats his boat.”

  


“But you know big bro, it's really unfair; you got your delicacy, he got his, and me? What about me? What am I gonna eat?”

  


“There's some smoothie left in the freezer?”

  


“What! For real?”

  


“Yeah.”

  


“You're the best!” Isabel gave Levi a quick hug before skipping in three steps to the other corner of the room to rummage through the freezer. Farlan was busy pouring soup into a clean bowl that he found without any effort; in fact they both seemed very familiar with Levi's kitchen and Levi himself seemed not to care, moving between them to fill his metal kettle with water.

  


“So,” Farlan sat next to Eren, setting his bowl on the table too and taking a large mouthful right away, “what do you think? Perfect right?”

  


“Uh? The soup?” Eren questioned, rather bewildered at the sight before him.

  


“Yep?”

  


“Ah, yes. It's really good… smokier than most chowder I ate.”

  


“That's because it is not chowder,” Farlan replied pointedly, “it is cullen skink.”

  


“It is what?”

  


“Cullen skink; smoked haddock chowder. It's Scottish.” Levi answered in Farlan's place, taking a seat at the end of the nook, near his friend who seemed offended.

  


“Well it's great either way!” Eren tried to claim the peace, still conflicted as Farlan kept gobbling the soup and then stopped after a particularly large swallow to ask Levi, “Do you have any bread?”

  


“You can eat bread?”

  


All eyes in the room turned to him which was a very uneasy position.

  


“Sorry that was rude. I was just surprised… but then I guess vampires can eat food, it just can be fussy, right? Like lactose intolerance.”

  


Farlan snorted and almost choked on his soup, and Isabel started cackling… Levi simply slapped Farlan's back a couple times to help.

  


“Eren...” Farlan spoke, syllables coming slightly strained as he had just been coughing, or perhaps because he was trying to hold back a chuckle, or likely both, “you think I'm a vampire?”

  


“You're not?”

  


“No, Eren, I'm not. I wonder what made you think I was though.”

  


“Pfft. Like you have to wonder. You're like the vampire stereotype 100%.” Isabel chimed in.

  


“Jealous?” Farlan smirked at Isabel who slurped from the straw some kind of berry smoothie she had filled to a tall glass.

  


“Those stereotypes are shit.”

  


“Ouch Levi. It's not like I try to.”

  


“Well… I shouldn't have assumed...” Eren tried to apologise. _You just had to go and think shit just because of how he looked and what—his hand is cool?! What kind of A+ reasoning is that?! Maybe he had just held something cold._

  


“Damn right you shouldn't have.”

  


“Ah it's okay and hey Levi, try to go easy on him? I don't think Eren had much vampire company before?”

  


“Not really… so I didn't realise you were both nonvampire.”

  


Farlan chortled, thankfully right before he actually took another spoonful and hence had a chance to lower his spoon back into his bowl; Levi was expressionless while Isabel fumed.

  


“The hell!”

  


“What?”

  


“Eren, what makes you think we are both humans?”

  


“Well… I—“ _Shit. Did—did I make a mistake again? Why the fuck did I have to open my mouth. But shouldn't they be nonvampire if they are not vampire?_

  


“Isabel is a vampire.” Levi clarified.

“Oh.”

  


_For real? She doesn't look like one at all. Wow. What did I just think. Go Jaeger. Talk about succumbing to stereotypes. Fuck my prejudice._

  


“I am sorry I didn't...” he couldn't help staring at the glass she was holding like a weapon while she glared hard at him, “I mean I was being horribly biased. Sorry.”

  


Farlan teeheed after a big swallow.

  


“You're wondering how she's drinking a smoothie if she's a vampire, aren't you?”

  


“Well—no—it's just—“

  


“It's okay.” Farlan smiled.

  


“No, it's not okay,” Isabel interjected.

  


“She's right.” Eren hung his head shamefully but Farlan did not seem to mind, patting him on the back.

  


“It's Levi's special recipe. Liver and spleen smoothie with plasma substitute.”

  


“Oh.”

  


“You don't have to explain to him.”

  


“I don't have to explain to him Levi, but he wants to learn so why not let him? He is your donor after all. Don't you want him to know more about vampires?”

  


“I think the cake should be cool enough by now...” was the answer Levi gave instead to which Farlan rolled his eyes.

  


Eren was about to sneak away to do the frosting and just run away before he died of embarrassment but Farlan held him secure in his place:

  


“You didn't finish your soup.”

  


“Ah.”

  


“You don't like it?”

  


“No, it's because Levi said cake was ready?”

  


“What do you have to do with the cake?” Isabel plopped on Eren's other side, practically squeezing him between the two of them.

  


“Well Levi was teaching me how to bake a carrot cake? So I'm supposed to learn. Only thing left is the icing.”

  


“Oh. Is that so. Interesting.”

  


“It's just a cake...” Levi scoffed leaving the nook to the three of them as he padded back to the counter.

  


Isabel hummed loudly while Farlan nudged Eren; “Finish your soup, I bet waiting cool for three more minutes won't spoil the cake.”

  


“Okay,” Eren tried to smile, before spooning away the last bits of his soup fast, hoping that the sooner he finished the sooner he'd be able to leave.

  


“Look at him gobbling. He likes cullen skink. Levi, I like this boy.”

  


Isabel laughed wholeheartedly, peeking at Eren throughout.

  


“And he didn't mind liver and spleen either...”

  


“That's because there's nothing to mind about them.” Levi stated without humour.

  


“Yeah, what's there to mind about it? I mean, I didn't know vampires could eat meat but...”

  


Farlan grabbed Eren's empty bowl alongside his and moved to the sink; “If it is finely chopped it's fine. It is a very nutrient and cheap source.”

  


“Really? I didn't even know you could find offal here. I only ever ate it back in Turkey at my relatives' places during Kurban—I mean, the Eid al-Adha.”

  


“Ah...” Isabel sighed happily, “My favourite holiday of all.”

  


“Oh? You're a Muslim?”

  


“Huh? Nah. Religion is not really my thing. But I lived in Muslim countries. Actually, I lived in Turkey too. Uh, though it was not technically Turkey then.”

  


“What do you mean?”

  


“Vampire, remember?”

  


“Huh?”

  


“She lived in the Ottoman Empire for a few centuries, now and then.” Levi answered in her stead.

  


“Oh… Wait. For _a few centuries_? _Now and then_?”

  


_Holy. Oh God. Wow. No. Yes._

  


Shoulder raised in nonchalance Isabel made a duck face; “Yeah? It's been long though.”

  


“If you don't mind me asking how old are you?”

  


“650-ish? Give or take twenty?”

  


“Oh.”

  


_She is… 650 years old. Or 630. Or 670. I am going to die._

  


“Oh no, he popped a boner.”

  


_Huh?_

  


“The hell Levi! That's not—”

  


“Ugh—“ Isabel shifted away from Eren, eyes scanning him over with suspicion.

  


“No—No, I did not. He is just teasing. It's just—It is big, you know, you've seen all those times.”

  


“Ah… he's one of those old vampire fetishists?” Farlan leaned towards Levi.

  


“No! I am just interested in history 's all.”

  


“Yeah, okay.” Isabel made a hand gesture of dismissal; “No judgement. Just, I'm not interested?”

  


“No… really. Please ignore that shitty joke Levi made.”

  


“Okay? Big bro, should I?”

  


“You decide.”

  


“Levi!” _But wait, if she is 650 years old and Levi is only 42 why on earth is she calling him big bro? It doesn't make sense. Are they shitting me._

  


Farlan moved back near him grinning while Levi gave him an exasperated look.

  


“Do you want to continue being a spluttering mess or do you want to do the goddamn frosting and take your carrot cake home?”

  


“Ah, I can take it home?”

  


“Carrot cake is a little lacking in blood for my taste.”

  


“Jeez...” Eren muttered under a breath as he snaked out of the place he was stuck between Levi's two friends, joining Levi at the counter. He could hear some hushed whispers behind him but could not make out what Farlan and Isabel were gossiping about, only hoping that it wasn't about his blunders or Levi's crude comment.

  


Levi shoved the apron onto him again which he grudgingly took, even though didn't feel a need to wear it, he still did, following Levi's kitchen rules.

  


“Scoop the cream cheese to this bowl.”

  


“Will it really be okay with cream cheese?”

  


“Yes.”

  


“It just feels weird, cheese on a cake. Is this really how it's made?”

  


“No, I'm just making it out of my ass—of course it is how it is made. There are other ways you can do it too but with carrot cake it is usually cheese cream icing.”

  


“Hmm...”

  


“Start beating it Mr. Cheese Police. Add in the confectioner's sugar, continue beating.”

  


“Okay cool, should be easy, I'm used to the mixer. Anything else?”

  


“You'll add the vanilla too. Half a tea spoon.”

  


“Do you mind taking it out? I don't think I can measure that out while mixing these?”

  


“Here.”

  


“Thanks. How long should I continue with this?” Eren leaned towards Levi to be heard over the noise of the electric mixer but Levi stepped away.

  


“Until it's fluffy.”

  


“Fluffy?”

  


“Fluffy.”

  


_I've never thought I'd ever hear Levi say fluffy. Pfft. Fluffy. God he says it so seriously. Uh—he is furrowing his brows, am I making a weird face? I hope I'm not making a weird face._

  


“Is this fluffy enough?”

  


“No—why are you smiling?”

  


“No reason.”

  


“That seems fluffy enough to me.” Isabel's poked her head between them making Eren slightly jump in his place.

  


“Be careful! Shit. If there are splashes everywhere you two are cleaning.”

  


“Sorry sorry!”

  


“Aw come on big bro. You say I'm good at wiping stuff.”

  


“But not at laundry.”

  


“Removing stains is an art a wise man said once.”

  


Levi snorted and ruffled her hair.

  


_Is she really like 'six hundred' or so years older than him because that doesn't look like so to me…_

  


“That's good enough, you can stop.”

  


“Okay. What do I do now?”

  


“You smear it on top. Use a small spatula or breakfast knife like this. Here, you try.”

  


“Hmm… like this?”

  


“Yes. Good. Don't coat too much.”

  


“Okay. There, is that alright?”

  


“Yes—what the hell are you doing?!”

  


“Ah just out of habit—there was a lot on the knife so, I licked it.”

  


“You can cut your mouth… how old are you.”

  


“Not an old geezer that's for sure.”

  


“Whoa! Big bro, I think he is referring to you.”

  


“Okay I think you can take your cake and leave now.”

  


“You're saying that as though it's a punishment?”

  


“Am I not gonna get a slice at least?” Farlan asked from the table.

  


“No, you are finishing your soup. Nobody else here eats it.”

  


“How do I package this?”

  


“I'll put it in a container. Take your apron to the room across the bathroom, laundry basket is there.”

  


“Okay.”

  


As Eren shimmied out of the apron and wandered out of the kitchen, he could hear giggling and jabs alike from behind. _They are really close…_ Even though he was still fascinated by possibly how old Isabel was, he had gotten the impression that she did not want to delve into the topic; in any case, asking her about history would likely be akin to asking her about her life and considering that they barely knew each other, it would be impolite to do so. He couldn't help but wonder, still, about the many things she saw, the rise and fall of empires and states, of the great wars, of many rulers who thought they would never wither only to fade from the face of earth alongside their grand creations…

  


Levi's laundry room was as neat and spotless as rest of his house; two big and fancy machines sat side by side, one washer one drier. There was a beige linen basket and at first Eren was unsure whether it contained clean or dirty clothes since the items inside were all folded. A closer inspection revealed splotches of blood on a white dress shirt and Eren also decided that this particular folding was too lenient to be suitable for Levi's clean clothes so he dropped the apron on top. On a second look, he grabbed it back and folded to the best of his abilities before gingerly placing it on top.

  


_Should be fine._

  


When he returned back to the kitchen, Levi was leaning on the counter, sipping some black tea that smelt of cloves from a glass cup; he could not see Farlan or Isabel around.

  


“They went to feed Daffodil.” Levi answered his unpronounced question.

  


“Ah okay. Wait—Daffodil likes them?!” _I guess it makes sense she likes them but come on. Why not me?!_

  


“Not really. With Farlan, it's a respectable distance they both keep but Isabel's always wanted to get her to like her so it's rowdy.”

  


“Ah. Will they be alright then?”

  


“That's why Farlan followed; otherwise Isabel ends up getting claw marks on her arms at every encounter.”

  


“How long she has been trying?”

  


“Since I adopted Daffodil as a kitten.”

  


“Shit. I have a long way to go huh… but I'm usually so good with animals...”

  


“Isabel is usually great with animals too. Dogs go all cuddly and weird around her. And that's even though she's a vampire.”

  


“Are you trying to dishearten me?”

  


“Just stating the facts. Here's your cheque by the way.”

  


“Thanks and well thanks for the cake too. For everything actually, it was really kind of you.”

  


“No big deal… didn't know you were a carrot cake fan.”

  


“I like it but it's for a friend; I want to bake her one as a birthday gift.”

  


“You chose carrot cake of all things?”  
  


“Why?”

  


“Too modest?”

  


“No, it's mainly because it has a special meaning for her. She was brought up by her father alone and he had her when he was really young. They were not doing well either, so the only dessert he could occasionally make for her was carrot cake apparently… They are really well off now though and he's always travelling so she never gets to eat it and I thought it could be a nice gift.”

  


“That's awfully romantic of you.”

  


_Romantic. Good ol' aro me._ _Romantic._ _Sure. But hmm this is kind of romantic_ _jest_ _too I guess. In a different meaning of the word._

  


“She can afford everything else I could get her but she cannot cook or bake for shit—she's even worse at it than me since she always had her dad or grandma cook.”

  


“I see. Good luck then.”

  


“Thanks. I mean, really, thanks.”

  


“I said no big deal...”

  


“I'll see myself out then?”

  


“Cool.”

  


“Thanks again!”

  


“Eren I'll kick you out if you say thanks one more time.”

  


Eren grinned before waving a little bye and rambling back towards the hallway; just as he turned the knob of the front door a shriek came from upstairs that doubtlessly belonged to Isabel.

 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The recipe of the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting that I used is: http://www.marthastewart.com/317144/carrot-tea-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosti
> 
> Sorry for the delay in updating. Those who follow me on tumblr may know but I'm going through some very tough times personally. I am fully committed to this fic though so once I felt like I had enough power I've come back to it again. Thanks for reading.


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